Destined
by psychncislover
Summary: Angels and Demons. They've existed unseen from humans since the dawn of time, working to take souls onto their next journey. They don't exactly get along but when two youths find themselves Destined to each other, what'll happen? Chaos, of course! And love… ZoLu - YAOI! More info inside...
1. Information

**Helllllllooooooooo people of FanFiction! My mind did again. I'm in the middle of another story and my mind decided it'd be a good idea to come up with something new. I guess it's okay, but it's also annoying. I'm still in the Anime/Manga fandom, _One Piece _to be precise. And yes, I know I have two other stories for that one to finish, but as for my mob one, I've hit a roadblock and I don't know where to go next, so I started this one in the meantime. Before anyone says anything, this is going be yaoi...as in boyXboy, GAY things, okay? If you don't like that, click the back button cuz you will not like this fic! But if you do, carry on! This is gonna be a ZoLu fic, obviously. They're definitely my OTP. Those two are just too perfect together not to be.**

**Anyway, I digress. This page is going to be for _information purposes only_! If you don't wanna be informed, just skip ahead. No harm, no foul.**

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**This fic will be AU, an Angel/Demon type deal but there will be _no_ religion in this story; I am _so_ not going into the whole God/Satan thing. I'm not, so please keep that in mind! The Angels/Demons in my fic work more to ferry souls into the afterlife (think _Bleach_, kind of); the Angels bring "good" souls to Elysium while Demons bring "bad" souls to the Underworld. Oh, and that reminds me, there will be 3 main "worlds" in this story: Elysium (Angel's domain/where "good" souls go), Human World, and Underworld (Demon's domain/where "bad" souls go). So there will be the "Soul Collectors", who do the soul ferrying, and then there's the Angel/Demon Warriors (which the main characters will be). They get sent after these "creatures" (called creaturas), which are what souls become if they're left in the Human World for too long; when the souls reach this stage, its a "free-for-all", meaning whoever gets there first (Angel or Demon) gets to deal with them (unless the soul is really evil, then it automatically gets dealt with by the Demons). Angels can "purify" them and send them to Elysium while Demons just change them back to their previous form and bring them to the Underworld. So that's where I'm heading with that.**

**Ok, next thing! Both Angels and Demons are each under the rule of 5 "Elders" (the unseen power behind everything) and the chosen Royal Lines (which are the direct descendants of the 5 different Elders), led by the Angel/Demon King. The Royal Lines each live (by family) in elaborate palaces, the size totally depending on which Elder the Royal is descended from; Angel palaces and buildings are all made from white stone/brick and crystal while Demon palaces and buildings are made form dark-colored stone/brick. Angel/Demon Royalty are trained extensively from the moment they can walk, so they're deadly, even the females. Also all Angel/Demon Royalty can automatically use Armament and Observation Haki (yes, Haki is a thing in this fic) and only the first two Royal Lines can use Conqueror's Haki; non-Royalty can use Armament and Observation if they train really hard and have strong wills/spirits. And on that note, certain Angels and Demons have been granted special "gifts" (which will just be their devil fruit powers). Also, Angels/Demons age _really_ slowly (10 years for every 1 year they age). And speaking of age, the Angels/Demons are semi-immortals, which means they will never suffer the ravages of aging, and because of this, will always be at their physical prime, but are still vulnerable to everything else that would affect other beings, from disease to mortal wounds.**

**Now, about the main thing this fic will focus on. Every Angel/Demon has a "Destined", one who they're meant to be with (like a Soul Mate); can be an Angel, Demon or Human, but Angels and Demons are rarely paired (has only happened twice, now three); you can feel that your Destined is in the same vicinity of you and you'll feel something the minute you meet eyes; Fate decides when its time for the two Destined to be revealed to each other, and once the Destined are revealed to one another, they can never actually kill the other, any attacks they try to do to one another will be redirected elsewhere. Which leads me to this: sex happens. The Angels are not virgins, well, some are (at first) but sex is not a sin (remember, _no religion_). Angels, though, usually frown upon having sex with someone who isn't their Destined, but, to Demons, it doesn't matter. Their sexual appetite is bigger and harder to control than Angels', though the minute the Destined meet, they don't want to have sex with anyone else. On another note, Demons do have a taste for blood (kinda like vampires) but don't necessarily need to drink it to survive; its more to help in the healing process, though it can also be for pleasure (idk why I'm doing so, but I am).**

**Another thing: Angels/Demons can disguise themselves as humans but other Angels/Demons can tell; they're surrounded by an aura, even when disguised (a whitish-pale blue aura for Angels; a fiery red/orange/yellow aura for Demons); when in their Angel/Demon Forms while in the Human World, ordinary humans cannot see them. Also, Angels and Demons do not like each other, and will fight if they encounter one another, but aren't actively trying to do so. Angels are not the perfect beings of innocence while Demons are not the personification of evil; Angels can cuss and be mean but they lean more towards goodness while Demons', though the same, have personalities that are somewhat darker.**

**As for powers: all Angels are aerokinetic (meaning they can manipulate, control, alter or create air molecules, wind currents, and control air with their minds) while Demons are pyrokinetic (meaning they can create, manipulate, and control fire with their minds). Obviously the Royals have better control over their powers than the normal ones, but they can all use this. Now, as for Royal-Angel-only powers, they can manipulate energy (meaning they can create, shape and manipulate energy, one of the basic quantitative properties describing a physical system or object's state; it can be transformed (converted) among a number of forms that may each manifest and be measurable in differing ways; common forms include the kinetic energy of a moving object, the radiant energy carried by light and other electromagnetic radiation, and various types of potential energy such as gravitational and elastic) while Demon Royals can manipulate darkness (meaning they can create, shape and manipulate darkness and shadows; one can also control and manipulate the beings that exist there, create and dispel shields and areas of total darkness, create constructs and weapons, teleport one's self through massive distances via shadows, etc.). All Angels also have superhuman strength, speed, and sense of sight and hearing, as well as cat-like reflexes, balance, agility, and instincts; they're also expert athletes, gymnasts, acrobats, and aerialists. Demons are all these things too, but with the added bonus of a heightened sense of smell.**

**Carrying on, since this is AU, I have Ace still alive, and Sabo is also here too! Also, there are some changes, like in some "gifts" and relatedness, but, again, this is AU. Now, I'm just put down the Hierarchy of each one, so you can get a gist of it.**

**Angels**

**Royal Lines:  
****Portgas (1st) Line: Queen Portgas D. Rouge - deceased; Prince Portgas D. Ace  
****Monkey (2nd) Line: King Monkey D. Dragon; Prince Monkey D. Luffy; Prince Monkey D. Garp  
****Le Roux (3rd) Line: Prince Shanks Le Roux  
****Riku (4th) Line: Prince Riku Dold III - deceased; Princess Riku Scarlett - deceased; Princess Riku Viola; Princess Riku Rebecca  
****Nefertari (5th) Line: Prince Nefertari Cobra; Princess Nefertari Vivi**

**Elders  
****Current Angel King: Monkey D. Dragon  
****Current Crowned Angel Prince(s): Portgas D. Ace; Monkey D. Luffy  
****Most Powerful Angel Warrior: Shanks Le Roux  
****Angel Warriors: Nefertari Cobra; Monkey D. Garp; Portgas D. Ace; Monkey D. Luffy; Outlook Sabo; Cuire Sanji; Mandarina Nami; Cutty Franky; Mandarina Nojiko; Nefertari Vivi; Riku Rebecca; Star Buggy; Bartholomew Kuma  
****Soul Collectors  
****Healer(s): Tony Tony Chopper; Tony Tony Kureha  
****Souls**

**Demons**

**Royal Lines:**  
**Gol (1st) Line: King Gol D. Roger - deceased; Prince Portgas D. Ace (w/ the Angels)**  
**Silvers (2nd) Line: King Silvers Rayleigh**  
**Dracule (3rd) Line: Prince Dracule Mihawk; Prince Roronoa Zoro; Princess Roronoa Makino (by adoption)**  
**Boa (4th) Line: Princess Boa Hancock; Princess Boa Sandersonia; Princess Boa Marigold**  
**Jewelry (5th) Line: Princess Jewelry Bonney; Princess Jewelry Perona**

**Elders  
****Current Demon King: Silvers Rayleigh  
****Current Demon Queen: Silvers "Shakky" Shakuyaku (by marriage)  
****Current Crowned Demon Prince(s): Dracule Mihawk  
****Most Powerful Demon Warrior: Dracule Mihawk  
****Demon Warriors: Roronoa Zoro; Tirador Usopp; Nico Robin; Laboon Brook; Jewelry Perona; Jewelry Bonney; Boa Sandersonia; Boa Marigold; Gekko Moriah; Miura Absalom; Baroque Crocodile; Daz Bones  
****Soul Collectors  
****Healer(s): Jarabe Kaya  
****Souls**

**So that's that. I don't think there's ****anything else y'all need to know...well, except that each Angel/Demon will have an outfit designated to them, so I'm going to post pictures of it on my pinterest page. The website link is on my profile page, and once there, it'll be the last of the boxes that'll show up. I'll label it "Outfits for Destined." Oh, I'm also still doing my whole "over-describing the characters" thing, so I'm apologizing right now if it annoys you. And like I've said before, you can skip right by it if you want to. I promise, it won't hurt. I just like describing things. Sue me. I hope you'll enjoy reading this fic, I'm a little nervous on the concept, but I'm going with it anyway! Well, on with the show...**

**xxoo  
psychncislover**


	2. Chapter 1

**Well, here's the first chapter, like I promised! I don't have much to say, so please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _One Piece_ or any of ****_One Piece_**'s characters mentioned in this fic.

**Warning: This is AU. Basically, all that remains are their names, faces, and a few personality traits, but other than that, the characters in this story are completely OOC.**

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**Elysium; Monkey Family Palace**

"I'm sooooo _boooooorrrreedddd!_" came the loud voice of a raven-haired teen as he rocked back and forth in his chair. "There haven't been any new creaturas in over a _month_!"

An orange-haired woman rolled her eyes. "That's a _good_ thing, Luffy."

"Yeah, it means those Soul Collectors are actually doing their jobs," said the smooth, baritone voice belonging to a cigarette-smoking blond currently standing in front of the stove.

"And that is _supah!_" shouted a certain cyan-haired man as he popped up and slammed his massive forearms together.

The teen, Luffy, continued to pout, drawing nonsensical figures on the table in front of him. "But that means we have nothing to do! I don't _like_ just sitting around!"

"Then why aren't you attending the lessons your dad is giving?" said the soft, melodious voice of a blue-haired princess.

Luffy wrinkled his nose. "Royalty lessons? No thanks."

"Your brother's doing them," pointed out a periwinkle-haired woman.

The bored teen merely shrugged indifferently.

"I had to do them too, Luffy." The princess added.

"Yeah, but you _enjoy_ doing those things, Vivi." The raven-haired teen stated. "I don't. It's even more boring than being bored."

"What?" came a slightly high-pitched, and confused, voice.

"It made sense to him in that weird-working head of his, Chopper," the blond said dismissively. "Leave it be."

"I guess, Sanji." Chopper said, head tilted in thought.

"Is that where Viola is, Sanji?" the orange-haired woman asked, looking up from the map she was working on.

"Correct, Nami-_swan_." Sanji answered, looking over his shoulder. "My dear Viola is with King Dragon right now."

"He kept trying to get Luffy in there, but Luffy somehow kept evading him." The princess, Vivi, said with a laugh.

"And you got out early?" the periwinkle-hair asked, leaning on her palm.

"I did, Nojiko." Vivi said proudly. "King Dragon said I already excelled in all of my lessons, so there was no need for me to stay."

"You'd think he'd try harder to get his only son to go to them." Nami commented, flickering her eyes over to Luffy before looking back down at her map.

"He probably knows better by now." The cyan-haired male, Franky, said with a snort. "Forcing Luffy to do something he doesn't want to only ends in migraines for everyone else involved."

"True that." Everyone, minus Luffy, said with fond amusement in their voices.

"What are you cooking over there, Sanji?" Luffy asked curiously, his stomach growling at the scent.

"Lunch." Sanji simply answered.

Luffy huffed and when he was about to push the issue, there was a loud knock on the kitchen door before it slammed open, a frazzled pink-haired guy standing in the doorway.

"Coby?" Nami asked, looking over at him. "Something wrong?"

"A creatura has been spotted in downtown Dawn City!" Coby shouted, waving the piece of paper in his hand around wildly. "Prince Le Roux said that you guys would take it!"

"Finally! Thank you Shanks!" Luffy exclaimed, jumping out of his seat and punching the air. "Let's go!"

Sanji, already placing the meal he was working on in the fridge, rolled his eyes. "Calm down, Luffy. We're coming."

The group of seven, after grabbing their individual cloaks, followed behind Coby as he led them from Luffy's Family Palace to the Transportation Center—a large, round, crystal building that connects Elysium to anywhere in the Human World. Coby entered in the correct coordinates while Luffy bounced up and down with barely restrained energy as he watched their platform finally move into position. The group spread their wings out before each of them launched themselves off and did a free-fall before catching the wind and flapping their wings gracefully.

_Something interesting's going to happen on this mission,_ Luffy thought as he soared high-above the clouds, smiling and laughing with his friends. _I just know it._

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***WARNING, DESCRIPTIONS AHEAD***

Monkey D. Luffy comes from the 2nd Royal Line and is the only biological son of the Angel King, Monkey D. Dragon, as well as one of the Crowned Princes of Elysium. He's 5'8½" and has mediumish, messy raven black hair with choppy-spiky fringe, obsidian eyes, light tan skin, and an athletically lithe body; he also has two visible scars: a horizontal scar with two stitches underneath his left eye and a large X-shaped burn scar over his chest. Hanging from a chin-string over his back, like always, is a straw hat with a red band circling it. His Angel Form consists of large, angelic wings that arc above his shoulders made of long, white feathers specked with gold and circling his head is a gold celtic-braided circlet with a simple "V" at the front; he wears a white dress shirt, a dark red tie, white suit pants, a brown belt, black flip-flop straw sandals and covering it all is a white, long-sleeved, hooded cloak decorated with elaborate gold designs (that ends at his shins).

One of Luffy's best friends, as well as his "advisor"—of sorts—is Mandarina Nami, a woman as smart as she is beautiful. She's 5'7" and has wavy, hip-length hair the color of tangerines with choppy bangs and two chest-length strands framing her face, burgundy-colored eyes, fair skin, a slender, well-endowed, hourglass figure, and covering her left deltoid is an indigo tattoo that represents a tangerine and pinwheel; she also has a pair of lavender pearl earrings in either ear and around her left wrist is a gold bangle. Her Angel Form has large, angelic wings that arc above her shoulders made of long, white feathers and she wears a white hooded cloak (that ends at her ankles) over a white high-halter silk gown with a simple skirt, a ruffled bodice adorned with crystals and pearls, a softly pleated empire line, and an open back, as well as white pumps; kept in three pieces in the black band circling her right upper-thigh is her Sorcery Clima-Tact—a tri-sectional cyan blue, metal bō staff.

The next is Cuire Sanji, only son of the Monkey Royal Line's personal chef and one of Luffy's best friends, as well as his "bodyguard"—or watchdog, as Luffy sees it. He's 5'11" and has medium-longish, scruffy golden-yellow blond hair that's kept brushed over the right side of his face, light tan skin, teal-blue eyes, a dark goatee, stubble on his upper-lip, and a sinewy, long-legged body; his eyebrows both form a spiral to the right and you can always find a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. His Angel Form has large, angelic wings that arc above his shoulders made of long, white feathers and he's dressed in a white dress shirt, blue tie, a double eyelet-studded dark gray belt, and white suit pants with a white, long-sleeved, hooded cloak worn over top, as well as white dress shoes.

The other loud-mouthed male in the group is Cutty Franky, a talented builder and inventor who's a close friend of Luffy's. He's a powerfully built man with a height of 7'5½" and relatively enormous forearms with comparably small biceps; he has swooped-up cyan blue hair, light tan skin, dark gray eyes, a metal-plated nose, a three-pronged chin, and blue star tattoos on his forearms. His Angel Form has large, angelic wings that arc above his shoulders made of long, white feathers and he wears a white, long-sleeved, hooded cloak over a white dress shirt, sky blue tie, and white suit pants, as well as white dress shoes.

The princess in the group would be Nefertari Vivi; she comes from the 5th Royal Line and is the only daughter of Prince Nefertari Cobra. She's 5'7" and has wavy, hip-length hair the color of the sky with two ear-length strands framing her face, coffee brown eyes, alabaster skin, and a slender, well-endowed, hourglass figure with long, thin legs and arms. Her Angel Form consists of large, angelic wings that arc above her shoulders made of long, white feathers specked with gold and circling her head is a gold Rhiannon circlet with the front forming a slight "V" adorned with a cabochon amethyst; she wears a white sleeveless crinkle chiffon gown with a cowl neckline, a ruched insert at the waist, and a draped skirt underneath a white hooded cloak decorated with elaborate gold designs, as well as white pumps, and kept in a specialized scabbard that circles her right upper-thigh are her two kunai knives—black rhombus-shaped blades and black handles wrapped in white tape with a ring on the pommels.

The last woman is Mandarina Nojiko, Nami's older sister and close friend of everyone in the group. She's 5'9" and has wavy, scapula-length periwinkle blue hair with a dark red ribbon tied as a headband, teal eyes, medium tan skin, and a slender, well-endowed, hourglass figure; covering her lips is light pink lipstick, on her right wrist is a gold bangle, and her right arm and chest are heavily tattooed in indigo-purple with a heart at the center of her clavicle with two swirls coming off either side, an intricate set of swirls over her deltoid and bicep, and three rings circling right above her elbow with a ring of dots underneath. Her Angel Form has large, angelic wings that arc above her shoulders made of long, white feathers and she wears a white hooded cloak over a white sleeveless silk gown with a scoop-neck/back, a fitted bodice, an A-line skirt, and is decorated in a beaded tulle, as well as white pumps; sheathed, in three pieces, in a black band circling her left upper-thigh is her Nigri Frameam—a tri-sectional black metal spear haft with a sharp silver spearhead.

Traveling with them, per protocol, is a Healer; his name is Tony Tony Chopper, and he's also a good friend of Luffy and the group. He's 5'7" and has mediumish, shaggy golden brunet hair with messy fringe, large dark brown eyes, light tan skin, and a slim, yet lightly muscled, body; underneath his left ear is a jagged scar and on his head is a blue cap that has a ring of dots around the circle placed in the front-center, while the cap has buckles hanging from it. His Angel Form has medium, angelic wings that arc above his shoulders made of long, white feathers and he wears a white dress shirt, a pink tie, white suit pants, white dress shoes, and a white, long-sleeved, hooded cloak.

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**Underworld; Dracule Family Palace**

_SLASH. CLANG. CRASH._

"Zoro-san, I know you're bored, but you could _at least_ show some effort," complained a man with a rather large afro as he sliced at his green-haired opponent with his purple shikomizue.

The green-haired man—Zoro—slashed down with his black katana before dodging backwards. "Sorry, Brook." He spun before bringing his katana back down. "I'm not bored. I've just been in a weird place all day. I can't really pay attention to much." He spun his katana in his hand before slicing at Brook, who blocked it with some effort.

"Weird, how?" asked the raven-haired beauty sitting on the sidelines as she looked up from her book, a look of (slight) concern on her face—she doesn't really _show_ emotions all too well.

Zoro rolled his one good eye as he blocked a blow from Brook. "It's nothing, Robin. I'll be fine tomorrow." He bent backwards at the waist to dodge a slice from Brook before countering with a thrust. "It's just one of those days. Don't worry about it."

"Who said we were worried?" came a slightly high-pitched, whiny voice of a pink-haired woman.

"Was I _talking _to you, Perona?" Zoro growled, glancing at her before flickering his gaze to the other pink-haired woman sitting next to her. "Tell your twin to butt out of other people's conversations, Bonney."

Bonney scoffed. "Just 'cuz your daddy is the Crowned Prince doesn't mean you can order me around, Zoro."

"Shove off." Zoro snapped as he pushed Brook and his shikomizue away from him before he noticed something. "Wait a second…it's too quiet in here." He looked around, ducking under a swing from Brook. "Where's Usopp?"

"With Kaya." Robin answered, already back to reading her book.

"Those two have been joined at the hip since discovering they're Destined, huh?" Bonney commented, twirling a piece of her hair.

"That's what normally happens." Robin said offhandedly.

The silence came back, except for the occasional _clang_ of blades meeting, but it didn't last for long. After blocking a decent hit from Brook, Zoro paused when he heard something coming from outside the room they were currently in. Taking advantage of his distraction, Brook swung again, but Zoro, not even looking up, swung his katana up behind him so it blocked the blow. Spinning and pushing Brook back again, Zoro raised a brow in question, completely forgetting about the noise.

"Just making sure your Haki is still working." Brook said innocently—a little _too_ innocently.

"My Haki is always on, you know that." Zoro said with a huff, but before the two could go back at it, the sound Zoro heard before sounded again, and it was closer.

"What was that?" Perona asked, looking up from where she was painting her nails.

"It sounded like someone shouting." Bonney said, looking at the door.

"Robin?" Zoro asked, seeing his friend with her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes closed.

Robin smiled as her eyes opened and arms dropped. "Seems something has upset Usopp."

"That could be anything." Bonney said with an eye roll.

"Yes, but Kaya is with him." Robin added.

"_GUUUUUUUUYYYYSSSS!"_ came a loud shout moving closer to the door.

"You think he'll break the door again?" Zoro asked rhetorically.

But, luckily, the doors stayed on their hinges as they were unceremoniously kicked open, and standing in the opening was a long-nosed male hand-in-hand with a pretty blonde. The five already in the room looked at Usopp with eyebrows raised in question, waiting for the Demon to get his breath back.

"I—" Usopp tried, but was still too out of breath…or too worked up. You never know with him.

"Take a breath, Usopp." Robin said calmly, closing her book as she gave the two her full attention. "What's wrong?"

Before Usopp could do any of that, though, Kaya spoke up. "A creatura has been spotted in downtown Dawn City." She folded her hands in front of her demurely. "Crowned Prince Dracule has asked that you six take it." She then smiled. "And, of course, I will accompany you."

"Finally." Zoro breathed out, sheathing his black katana and pulling on his cloak. "Something to do. I was getting bored."

"I agree with Zoro-san." Brook said, sliding his blade back into its cane covering and grabbing his cloak as well. "There has been little activity this past month."

"Men." Perona humphed as she grabbed her cloak. "That's a _good_ thing, you know."

Robin giggled. "But our men like action, don't they." She attached her cloak around her neck.

"Idiots, the lot of them." Bonney said, her cloak already on.

"Let's go!" Usopp exclaimed, his breath finally back as he led the group towards the Transportation Center—a large, hexagonal, dark stone building that served as the connection between the Underworld and the Human World.

Once in the correct area, Usopp entered the coordinates and after the platform moved into position, the seven Demons spread out their wings before pushing up, gaining altitude as they headed to Dawn City.

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***DESCRIPTIONS AHEAD***

Roronoa Zoro is from the 3rd Royal Line, making him a prince, as well as a master swordsman and the only son of the Crowned Prince, Dracule Mihawk. He's 5'11" and has shortish, slightly slicked back and messy light leaf green hair, hunter green eyes with a vertical scar running down his left one that keeps it closed, tan skin, a massive stitched scar stretching from his left shoulder to his right hip, stitched scars circling either ankle, and a sinewy body; dangling from his left ear are three identical gold teardrop earrings and bundled over his right hip are his three katanas—a white one (Wadō Ichimonji), a dark reddish-brown one (Kitetsu III), and a black one (Shusui). In his Demon Form, he has large bat-like wings made of coarse black and silver scales, sharp upper-canine teeth, slightly sharp nails, a thin black tail with a light leaf green fur-tuft, and around his head is a silver woven circlet with a "V" over his forehead; he's dressed in a black, long-sleeved, hooded cloak decorated with elaborate silver designs (that reaches his shins) over top of a black dress shirt, forest green tie, dark red belt, and black suit pants, as well as black boots.

Zoro's first and best friend would be Tirador Usopp, a sniper with a talent for lying and storytelling. He's 5'9½" and has scapula-length, ringleted black hair pulled into a low ponytail, dark brown eyes, a cinnamon complexion, a black goatee, a sinewy body, thick lips, and a really abnormally long nose; hanging around his neck are a pair of orange red-tinted sniper goggles and placed over his ears are orange headphones. His Demon Form has large bat-like wings made of coarse black scales, sharp upper-canine teeth, slightly sharp nails, and a thin black tail with a black fur-tuft; he's wearing a black dress shirt, yellow tie, and black suit pants underneath a black, long-sleeved, hooded cloak, as well as black dress shoes, and tucked into a holster on his left side is his Kuro Kabuto—a metallic black slingshot.

Nico Robin, believe it or not, is Zoro's other best friend—a dark beauty who's as intelligent as she is deadly. She's 6'2" and has straight, hip-length light black hair with two shoulder-length strands framing her face, sky blue eyes, light tan skin, and a slender, well-endowed, hourglass figure with long legs and arms; in her Demon Form, she has large bat-like wings made of coarse black scales, sharp upper-canine teeth, slightly sharp nails, and a thin black tail with a light black fur-tuft. Her outfit is a black portrait-neck/back satin gown with a bead and crystal-embellished neckline and cap sleeves, a natural waistline, and a thigh-high slit over her left leg worn underneath a black hooded cloak (that reaches her ankles), as well as black heeled sandals.

Laboon Brook is an old soul and, like Zoro, a master swordsman, as well as a close friend and "bodyguard", of sorts—though Zoro uses the term "babysitter". He's 9'1" and has a curly black afro, dark brown eyes covered by round, tinted glasses, a curved scar on the right side of his forehead, dark brown lips, pale skin, and a thin, bony frame; his Demon Form has large bat-like wings made of coarse black scales, sharp upper-canine teeth, slightly sharp nails, and a thin black tail with a black fur-tuft. He's wearing a black, long-sleeved, hooded cloak over top of a black dress shirt, white tie, and black suit pants, as well as black dress shoes; dangling from his arm, like always, is his Soul Solid—a shikomizue (cane sword) with a stainless steel, slender rapier-pointed blade and a purple cane covering.

As well as being Usopp's Destined, Jarabe Kaya is the Demons' Healer, recently becoming one after her parents were both killed. She's 5'7" and has straight, waist-length pale blonde hair with parted bangs that frame her face, light brown eyes, alabaster skin, and a slender, hourglass figure; in her Demon Form, she has large bat-like wings made of coarse black scales, sharp upper-canine teeth, slightly sharp nails, and a thin black tail with a pale blonde fur-tuft. She's dressed in a black spaghetti-strapped chiffon gown with a sweetheart-neckline, a criss-cross gathered bodice, a natural waistline, and a softly gathered sheer skirt with a gathered hip yoke underneath a black hooded cloak, as well as black pumps; sheathed in a scabbard on her left side is her Guérison Argent—a silver rapier with a slender, double-edged straight blade, a complex, sweeping hilt with rings and a knuckle bow extending forward from the crosspiece, and a fat pommel.

Now, the Jewelry Twins. The two of them are fraternal twin sisters and come from the 5th Royal Line, making them both princesses; they've been close friends with Zoro and the group since they were young.

The older of the two is Jewelry Bonney. She's 5'8½" and has waist-length, straight pink hair with a left side-bang, purple eyes, fair skin, and a slim, well-endowed, hourglass figure; on her lips is pink lipstick and underneath her right eye is a silver anti-eyebrow. In her Demon Form, she has large bat-like wings made of coarse black and silver scales, sharp upper-canine teeth, slightly sharp nails, a thin black tail with a pink fur-tuft, and circling her head is a silver celtic circlet made of minute swirls; she's dressed in a sleeveless satin gown with a draped scoop-neckline, an open back, an A-line silhouette, and an elongated pleated bodice worn underneath a black hooded cloak decorated with elaborate silver designs, as well as black T-strap platforms.

The younger twin is Jewelry Perona. She's the same height as Bonney and has butt-length light pink hair, kept at the back of her head in four spiral braids, with blunt forehead bangs, big, round violet eyes, fair skin, and a slim, well-endowed, hourglass figure; lining her eyes is black eyeliner, on her lips is red lipstick, on her sharp fingernails is pink nail polish, and tattooed on her left deltoid is a tiny pink bat. Her Demon Form has large bat-like wings made of coarse black and silver scales, sharp upper-canine teeth, a thin black tail with a light pink fur-tuft, and around her head is a silver unity circlet with an oval-shaped amethyst in the center; she's wearing a black hooded cloak decorated with elaborate silver designs over a black sleeveless, sweetheart-neckline gown with a velvet bodice, a top layer of ruffled sheer fabric, and an opaque underskirt, as well as black bicep-high gloves and black lace-up heels.

* * *

It took the group of Angels about three hours to reach their destination, and once there, they landed in the forested area that borders Dawn City before folding up their wings and looking around. Luffy was already bouncing in place, ready to race off into the city, but before he could, Nami placed a restricting hand on his shoulder.

"Chill out, Luffy." Nami said, raising an eyebrow. "We don't even know where the creatura _is_. We can't just go running off in any direction we please."

Luffy sagged under her grip. "But Na_mi_…"

"Yes, we know you're bored." Sanji said, already lighting up another cigarette. "But Nami-_swan_ is right. We need to find where that thing actually _is_."

Luffy let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine!" Shaking his head, he beckoned Vivi over to him. "Vivi and I will start on that right now."

Although Sanji and Franky both also have Observation Haki, it's well-known that the Royals can use theirs a lot easier and with a lot more success. So, without further discussion, Luffy slipped on his human disguise, instantly losing his wings and circlet as well as gaining a new outfit: a red unbuttoned, 3/4-sleeve cardigan with ruffled cuffs and hemline, jean shorts with a thick, white fluffy hemline, and a yellow sash tied around his hips; the only two things that stayed with him from his Angel Form are his black flip-flop straw sandals and his straw hat, which he grabbed and plopped on his head.

"Let's go, Vivi!" Luffy said impatiently, waiting for her to change as well.

"Hold on, Luffy!" Vivi admonished as a golden light engulfed her. "I'm coming." The light disappeared and she was in her human form, now dressed in a pale blue sleeveless, V-neck minidress and white wedges.

"Great!" Luffy cheered, instantly grabbing her hand and tapping into his Observation Haki; it took a minute, but they both instantly felt something in the warehouse district, near the docks. "There!" And Luffy, still gripping onto Vivi, ran off in that direction.

"Luffy!" the remaining Angels yelled before rolling their eyes and changing as well.

Nami's now wearing a dark green halter top with a white bust, low-rider denim skinny jeans, a black belt with a silver Berry symbol-buckle—where she keeps the pieces of her Clima-Tact on the right side—and orange heeled sandals. Nojiko changed into a black spaghetti-strapped, scoop-neck top, denim bermuda shorts, a black belt—where she keeps the pieces of her spear at the back—and purple heeled sandals.

Sanji's dressed relatively the same in a black, double-breasted suit jacket over a golden yellow dress shirt and with a dark gold tie, black suit pants with a silver chain hanging from the belt loops on his left side, a double eyelet-studded dark gray belt, and black dress shoes. Franky's wearing a red, short-sleeved Hawaiian "Aloha" shirt, left open, with coconut trees decorating it, red jeans, and black boots. Chopper's dressed in a white/yellow vertical-striped t-shirt, orange jeans, black Converse, and, like with Luffy, his cap remained on his head.

"Luffy!" Nami yelled, automatically running in the direction Luffy headed. "Slow down!"

Sanji rolled his eyes and bit down on his cigarette as he ran alongside Nami. "He is _so_ impatient."

"He's also unbelievably _fast_." Nojiko huffed, lagging behind her sister. "How the hell is Vivi managing to keep up with him?"

"Well, they've both had the same training," Franky commented, "being Royals and all. You know how hard the Elders ride them." Everyone nodded in agreement at that.

Looking between the two women, Chopper nodded and, accessing his special "gift", instantly morphed into a full-sized, light tan-colored reindeer, complete with large, branched-out antlers—though he's still wearing his outfit. Trotting up to the women, he indicated for them to get on, and they did, sighing out instantly before smiling at Chopper.

"I totally forgot you could turn into a reindeer, Chopper." Nami said, petting him at his neck.

"Yeah, thanks." Nojiko panted out. "I don't think I would've last much longer running."

For reasons only known to Fate, some Angels—as well as Demons—were born with special "gifts" that give the individual a power or special trait that's unique to them and them alone. Every single one is different, no two "gifts" can exist at once, and, to make things easier, the Elders have since classified these "gifts" into three different categories: paramecia, logia and zoan. Paramecia gives the individual a power that affects their body, manipulates the environment, or produces substances; Logia gives the individual the ability to turn into a natural element or force of nature; and Zoan allows the individual to transform into another species—basically, shapeshift. Among the current group, only Luffy and Chopper possess these "gifts": Chopper, obviously a zoan, can shapeshift into a reindeer while Luffy, who's a paramecia, has a body made of highly-stretchable rubber.

"No problem!" Chopper said happily as he trotted alongside Sanji and Franky.

"That damn idiot!" Sanji growled out fifteen minutes later, finally coming to a stop at the edge of the forest as he and the others looked around for Luffy and Vivi. "Now where did he go?"

"Haki?" Franky suggested and Sanji shrugged.

Closing their eyes and centering themselves, the two men reached out with their Haki and probed the immediate area, trying to find that spike of energy that belongs solely to Luffy; his is a lot easier to locate, given that it's huge, bright, and largely spasmodic. It took a little bit, but Sanji finally located him, about a mile or two ahead of them. Breathing out and opening his eyes, he nodded at Franky before they started running again, Chopper—still carrying Nami and Nojiko—following right behind them. Once they reached the city-limits and entered, it took about another five minutes before they finally spotted Luffy and Vivi.

The two of them weren't paying attention to anyone or anything around them, bumping into people and objects without batting an eye as they had everything focused on finding the creatura. This is why they don't like these two going off on their own; the remaining Angels quickly caught up with the two Royals, Franky grabbing Luffy while Sanji gently handled Vivi. The two looked momentarily confused before they shook off the remains of their Haki and glanced at their friends.

"Oh," Luffy finally said before smiling widely. "Hi guys!"

"Don't you _"hi guys!"_ me, Luffy!" Nami shouted, hopping off of Chopper and marching up to Luffy. "What the hell was that, huh?! You shouldn't go running ahead of us like that!"

Luffy, knowing he did something wrong, fiddled with his fingers. "Sorry, Nami. I just got excited."

"And he wouldn't let go of me, so I had to follow him." Vivi said after assuring Sanji that she wasn't harmed. "But we're close."

Luffy instantly came to life again. "Yeah! The creatura is less than half a mile away, tops!"

"Hush!" Sanji hissed, slapping a hand over Luffy's mouth as he looked around. "Not so loud, you moron."

_"Sowy,"_ came Luffy's muffled voice.

Sanji rolled his eyes before taking his hand off of Luffy's mouth. "Okay, that's better. Now, why don't you lead us to where it is?"

"'Kay!" Luffy exclaimed before turning around and walking in the direction of a whole bunch of warehouses.

The others stayed quiet as they followed their Crowned Prince, looking around occasionally to make sure they weren't being followed. Once Luffy got about halfway through the warehouses, he suddenly stopped in front of one and nodded.

"This is it." Luffy said, looking over his shoulder. "The _thing_ is in there!"

The warehouse looked like all the others and, according to Haki, was empty, sans the creatura. Should be simple enough to take out. After checking to make sure everyone was ready and prepared, Luffy suddenly kicked open the door and ran inside, shedding off his human disguise as he went and going back to his Angel Form, though now wearing his Warrior's garb: a sleeveless, white combat, zip-up vest—zipped all the way up—with light silver leather accents on the sides and shoulders, white cargo pants with attached leg straps tucked into gray combat boots, and white leather, fingerless gloves.

The others just rolled their eyes at his usual antics and followed behind him, their disguises falling off as well; Sanji and Franky are both dressed like Luffy, except Sanji's top has long sleeves while Franky's is short-sleeved and left unzipped (Chopper's dressed normally as he isn't a Warrior). The girls are dressed in their Warrior uniforms as well: a white leather full body tactical suit with a zipper up the front—which is zipped up to the tops of the breasts—tucked into white low-heeled, knee-high boots, a light silver belt cinched around the hips, and white leather, fingerless gloves. Glancing around, the whole building seemed empty, except for the large, growling…_beast_ that stood in the center.

"Wow." Luffy stated, crossing his arms before tilting his head. "That thing is _weird_."

"Of course it is, you idiot!" Sanji shouted, falling into a defensive position. "They aren't known for being normal!"

"Luffy calls 'em as he sees 'em." Franky said, cracking his knuckles. "You know that, cook-bro."

Nami, who'd already taken the pieces of her Clima-Tact out from her belt, snapped them together before twirling it expertly in her hand. "Yeah, but this thing is a special _kind_ of weird."

Ain't that the truth. The creatura looks around nine feet tall and has a strong, human-esque body but there are three heads—the first looks like a bull, the second like a man, and the third like a ram—coming from its back is a serpent's tail, and being held in its right hand is a large lance.

Nojiko tilted her head, leaning slightly on her Nigri Frameam and contemplated the thing in front of her. "I agree with Nami. This thing is in its own _category_ of weird."

"It's so _tall_." Chopper breathed out, tilting his head back to see all of it.

"Those _are_ three heads, right?" Vivi asked, twirling her two kunai knives with her fingers. "I'm not imagining it?"

"Nope, it has three heads." Luffy confirmed before his smile widened. "This is so _cool!_"

"LUFFY!" everyone yelled at him, though that turned out not to be such a good idea.

The thing immediately spotted them, and, without wasting any time, opened all three mouths and proceeded to _breathe out fire_. The seven Angels yelped in shock and their wings automatically spread as they flew out of the danger zone.

"Was that _fire!?" _Nami yelled, soaring around before landing on the creatura's left side.

"Yeah!" Luffy shouted, landing next to her. "That was _awesome!_"

"Me and you have different definitions of _awesome_, Luffy-bro." Franky said, landing behind the thing, Chopper touching down a second later, eyes still wide with shock.

"Well, this just got more complicated." Sanji stated as he landed on its right side, Vivi and Nojiko following moments after.

"No!" Luffy shouted, squatting down into a horse's stance before placing his right fist on the floor. "It just got funner!" Then his legs started pumping and with every pump, his skin started turning as red as a lobster and steam started billowing from his body. "Second Gear!"

Luffy smiled as he straightened again, his hand held up, ready to fire. After setting his sights on the creatura, he yelled out, "Jet Pistol!" before sending his fist out so fast that no one even saw it move, but the results speak for themselves as the thing suddenly had a fist-shaped crater in its stomach before it was sent flying backwards, crashing through a few support beams and landing on its back.

"Nice, Luffy!" Nami said with a smile before getting her Clima-Tact into position. A second later, bubbles filled with black storm clouds appeared, moving towards the creatura and surrounding it. As soon as she got everything into position, she swung her Clima-Tact and the bubbles popped and hit the creatura, electrocuting it with lightning.

A second later, Nojiko came flying out of the smoke clouds and slashed at the thing, aiming for the vital points on the body, Vivi following behind her with her kunai knives swishing through the air. Franky was already in the air, sending punch after punch at one of the heads, disorienting it so it couldn't breathe out any fire at them. While that was happening, Luffy, still in Second Gear, was moving so fast around the creatura that you couldn't see him, but his attacks hit every time, weakening it even more.

Once it was down on its knees, Sanji spun around rapidly on his right foot, heating it up and setting it on fire. He then shouted "Bien Cuit Grill Shot!" before running right at the creatura and, after spinning around slightly, delivered a strong back kick to the center of it, burning it so bad that a crisscrossed grill pattern was left behind.

With two of the heads out of commission, the fire it breathed wasn't as powerful as the first time the thing did it, but it caught them unaware and scrambling off to the side, some getting hit by the flames (that they immediately patted out). This gave the thing a second wind as it came back swinging, the lance moving at incredible speed that the Angels could barely keep up with. It took several minutes, and a few cuts and bruises, for everyone to help Nojiko get into a good-enough position to slice the lance in half, rendering it useless. Once that was done, Luffy had finally had enough.

Jumping up, Luffy bit down on his thumb before muttering, "Third Gear," and blowing air into his limb, inflating it to gigantic proportions. The other Angels dived out of the way as Luffy activated Armament and covered his first, turning it black. Once that was done, he sent a punch right at the thing, shouting, "Elephant Gun!" before slamming his fist so hard into the creatura that it went flying through the back wall, into another warehouse, through that one, into another one, through _that_ one as well, before finally coming to stop in the sixth warehouse it crashed into.

The whole fight took about an hour-and-a-half.

"Woohoo!" Luffy shouted, punching his—now normal-sized—fist in the air. "We win!" His smiled widened as he changed back into his normal Angel clothes.

"Not yet, Luffy." Sanji said, now beside him, as he lit another cigarette. "We still have to collect the soul." Sanji was back in his normal clothes too, Franky as well.

"Oh…" Luffy said, looking in the thing's direction before perking back up again. "I'll go get it!" And before anyone could say anything else, he was off.

Nami shook her head as she leaned tiredly on her Clima-Tact. "I don't know _where_ he gets that energy from." Her body glimmered lightly as she switched back to her dress, Vivi and Nojiko doing the same.

"Just be grateful he has it or _we'd_ have to go get that thing." Nojiko said, wiping off some sweat and blood that gathered on her face.

"Do you guys need me to heal anything?" Chopper asked, coming out of the corner he was told to stay in; Chopper was only there for healing purposes, not to fight.

Franky shook his head as he looked himself over. "Nothing's too severe. All our wounds are pretty much superficial."

"Yeah, save some of that awesome power for the really serious stuff, 'kay?" Nami said with a kind smile, ruffling Chopper's head.

Chopper blushed and started doing his strange little dance. "Saying stuff like that doesn't make me happy or anything!"

Nojiko stifled a laugh. "Sure it doesn't."

Sanji, smirking, was about to add something when Vivi suddenly tensed up, glancing around the, supposedly, empty warehouse quickly, looking a bit spooked.

"What's wrong?" Sanji said, his body falling back into a defensive position automatically. "You sense something?"

"We're not alone." Vivi stated, still searching the warehouse. _How did I not sense it 'till now?_

"Wow," said a new voice, causing all the Angels (minus the still-gone Luffy) to whirl towards it. "Guess we missed the show."

"I can't see anything." Nami whispered, her Clima-Tact back out and held defensively in front of her body. "Where is that voice _coming_ from?"

"How many, Vivi?" Sanji asked between clenched teeth, too stressed to activate his own Haki.

"I sense seven." Vivi said, retightening her grip on her kunai knives. "And that's not all."

"What?" Franky asked, hands already curled into fists as he stood defensively in front of a nervous Chopper.

Before Vivi could answer, though, the interlopers stepped out of the shadows—more like the shadows melted _off_ of them—and the others suddenly knew what it was that Vivi must have sensed. _Black wings, thin black tails, sharp teeth and claws…_

The newcomers are Demons.

"Terrific." Sanji muttered as he simultaneously thanked Elysium that Luffy wasn't here while looking the Demons over.

Sanji counted three male Demons and four female ones, and they all were dressed like Demon Warriors. The outfits looked to be the same as theirs, though these were all black with red accents instead of white and light silver. After a second look, Sanji spotted one of the females not wearing a Warrior outfit, so he guessed she must be their Healer.

Two of the female Demons have long pink hair and looked almost identical too each other, so Sanji guessed they're twins of some sort; another female, the one not in a Warrior's suit, has pale blonde hair and a soft demeanor, and the last one has black hair and a seductive beauty, but he knew instinctively that she's a lot more dangerous than she looks. One of the males, standing behind the twins, has a large black afro and was holding a purple cane while another, standing next to the blonde, has dark hair and an abnormally long nose. Sanji paused when his eyes lastly rested on the green-haired male—who's standing next to and whispering with the black-haired beauty—and his hands clenched into fists. There was something he _really_ didn't like about this one, more than just the whole Demon thing. Something at a base-level. He doesn't know what, exactly, it is, though.

Surprising Sanji slightly, though, are the silver circlets he sees on the green-haired male's head as well as on the pink-haired twins'. _Those three must be Royalty,_ Sanji mused, also noticing the silver scales dotting their wings.

Taking in a deep drag of his cigarette, he slowly blew it back out before asking casually, "Can we help you?"

He took charge of the situation, valiantly ignoring the way the others kept looking through the large hole, and wishing that Luffy stays away a little longer. The last thing they need is their Crowned Prince anywhere _near_ these Demons. Who knows what they'd do if they knew he's here?

"Well, we _were_ heading here to take care of a creatura," one of the twins said, "but it seems you Angels got here first."

"Yeah, we did." Nami said, planting her Clima-Tact on the floor and resting her free hand on her cocked-out hip. "So why don't you Demons just leave? There's nothing left for you to do here."

"That creatura is still alive." The green-haired one said, his one eye resting on the large hole behind them. "That means its still fair game."

"Wait for it…" Nojiko sang out, causing the Demons to look at her strangely.

There was suddenly a very loud growl before an even louder _bonk_ was heard, the ground shook slightly, and then the creatura's energy quickly vanished.

"You were saying?" Sanji asked with a smirk, head tilted to the side; he saw the green-hair's hand tighten on one of his katanas.

"Is there another one of you here?" the black-haired woman asked calmly.

All the Angels suddenly froze.

_"Shit."_ Sanji hissed out. He was hoping they'd miss that.

* * *

"I take that as a _yes_, then." Robin said with a slight smirk, exchanging a glance with Zoro.

"Wonder what's up with them?" Zoro asked rhetorically, fingers tapping a rhythm on Wadō's hilt.

"Yes," Robin agreed as Bonney started talking with the Angels again. "That reaction _was_ quite weird."

Zoro, again, tried to relax his muscles, but it wasn't working. The minute they landed in Dawn City, something caused every nerve in his body to stand on alert, almost like he was about to be attacked, but he knew that wasn't the case. This feeling was similar, but different. The answer was on the tip of his tongue, but he just couldn't find it. He was about to finally ask Robin about it, but he suddenly detected another presence coming towards the warehouse, though this energy made his already-alert nerves go haywire.

_What the…_

"Hey, guys?!" a very loud voice shouted from outside the giant hole. "Why do I sense more people?! You okay?!"

_"Shit."_ The blond Angel—who ticks Zoro the hell off—hissed again. "Don't come in here!"

"Why not?!" the voice whined. "I got the soul and now I'm hungry! I missed lunch, my post-lunch meal, and my pre-dinner snack, you know!"

The blond just dropped his face in his hand. "Yes, I know."

But before anything else could be said, the final Angel entered the room, looking around with interest. This one has hair as black as the night sky and equally-as-black eyes, eyes that are round with innocence and curiosity as they scanned the area. His body was lithe, but packed full of muscle, not an ounce of fat to be found, and he's dressed similarly to the other Angels, though his cloak had gold designs and his large wings were specked with gold. _Is he…_ But Zoro's question was answered when he spotted the gold circlet resting around his head, underneath a…straw hat? _So he is Royalty_.

Beside him, Robin gasped, eyes widening in surprise.

Zoro automatically looked at her. "What's wrong?" Robin rarely, if ever, shows emotion like this. Something's up.

"It can't be." Robin whispered, her eyes locked on the raven-haired Angel. "Why would they let _him_ of all people down here?"

"Who, Robin?" Zoro asked again, looking between her and the Angel.

Robin looked at him. "If I'm not mistaken," and she rarely ever is, "that's Monkey D. Luffy."

_Monkey D. Luffy?_ Zoro thought. _Isn't that_—

"He's one of the Angels' Crowned Princes." Robin confirmed his thoughts. "The only biological son of the Angel King, Dragon." She turned her gaze back. "The Angel Prince."

Zoro glanced back over at him, but this time, the Angel happened to already be looking in his direction, and when their eyes met, it was like he was hit with the force of a ton of bricks; he actually stumbled a few feet back from the sheer _intensity_ of it. _What the hell?_ It's like someone just shocked him with a live wire, every nerve in his body lighting up like fireworks. Even weirder, it felt like something inside of him clicked into place, something he didn't know he was missing, but now doesn't know how he lived without it. He tried shaking all these feelings off, but the longer him and the Angel locked gazes, the stronger everything got. Trying to look away got him nowhere, since he physically couldn't _move_ his head, and it was finally Robin who grabbed his chin and forced him to break his gaze.

"Zoro?" she asked quietly, having witnessed the whole thing.

"What was that?" he whispered, still in shock, though his nerves finally started to settle. "What the _hell_ was that?"

* * *

Luffy blinked a few times once the green-haired Demon looked away from him, but he still felt…weird. He's never felt like this before, like every single nerve-ending is alive and singing with energy. It feels similar to when he drank one of Chopper's energy tonics by mistake and he couldn't stop bouncing around for three days straight. He shook his hands out, trying to get rid of the mystery feeling, when Sanji suddenly walked over to him.

"Yeah, Sanji?" Luffy asked curiously, tilting his head—and automatically forgetting everything he just felt a moment go.

"We need to get out of here." Sanji said urgently, talking softly. "So I need you to do something only you can do."

"Really?!" Luffy asked, eyes sparkling in excitement.

_Well, any of us could, really, but I need Luffy focused. Plus, the Royals are a lot better at controlling it,_ Sanji thought to himself before facing Luffy again. "I need you to blow these Demons away."

"Blow…them away?" Luffy asked, confused. "Why?"

Sanji bit down on his cigarette impatiently. "It'll cause a distraction and while they're down, we'll get the _hell_ out of here." He blew out a stream of smoke. "I don't really feel like getting into a fight with a bunch of Demons right now."

"But they're not hurting us." Luffy pointed out, head cocked to the side.

"Just do it!" Sanji snapped.

Luffy pouted.

Sanji swallowed roughly before saying, "I'll cook you your favorite meal once we get home."

Luffy's eyes widened. "You mean…"

"Yes." Sanji answered.

With his left arm at a right-degree angle, he clamped his other hand around his left bicep before nodding. "Got it! You can count on me, meat." He shook his head. "Sanji."

_He has such a one-track mind_, Sanji thought with exasperated fondness before catching the others' eyes and motioning with his head to move back.

Luffy took a step forward, standing directly in front of the Demons, before raising his arms up, his palms held at shoulder-level. While the Demons were giving him weird looks, Luffy glanced one last time at the green-haired one before breathing in deeply and suddenly _pushing_ forward with his arms, breathing out as he did so; a huge gust of wind came flying out of him and slammed into the Demons, uprooting them and sending them crashing into the warehouse wall situated behind them. Once they were down and cussing up a storm, Sanji ran forward and grabbed Luffy's arm, yanking the Crowned Prince with him, towards the huge hole that the creatura made earlier, the other Angels already waiting outside.

Luffy glanced back one last time at the Demons, his eyes lingering on the green-haired prince, before following after Sanji; the moment they were in open air, their wings unfurled and they pushed themselves off the ground and headed home.

_Why does it feel like my heart is being torn in two?_ Luffy wondered to himself as he followed after everyone, hand absentmindedly clutching his chest. _What's going on with me?_

* * *

"_Well_," Perona growled out, finally pushing herself up. "That was _totally_ uncalled for!"

"We didn't even _do_ anything to them!" Usopp complained as he helped his Destined up. "Why did that Angel just blow us away like we were a bunch of leaves?!"

"So they could get away." Robin answered calmly, already standing with her arms crossed. "I don't think they wanted to get into a fight with us."

"Why not?" Bonney snapped. "Isn't that what Angels _do_?"

"Not necessarily." Robin said, tilting her head. "But I think it was more because their Crowned Prince was with them."

**. . .**

_"What?!"_ everyone, minus Zoro, screamed.

"Seriously?!" Bonney asked, flabbergasted. "Which one?"

Robin blinked at that question.

"Oh." Bonney then said, embarrassed. There was only one person it _could_ be, after all.

"So that black-haired Angel who blew us over…" Brook asked, unsure.

"Yes." Robin said with a nod. "That is the Angel Prince."

While the others were contemplating this, Robin looked over at Zoro, who still seemed to be in shock. He was shaking out his hands like he was trying to fling something off while minute shivers skated over his body. Robin leaned her head in her hand while studying him; she has a good idea what just happened between him and the Angel Prince, but to admit it out loud wouldn't do any good right now.

_An Angel and Demon Destined,_ Robin mused. _That hasn't happened in over a century, not since—_

"Hey, Robin?" Usopp called out, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Is, um, _he_," Usopp pointed to Zoro, "okay? He's been staring off into space for the last few minutes."

"Mind your own business, Usopp." Zoro snapped, moving his gaze back to them. "I'm just fine."

"Oh-_kay_." Usopp drawled out, clearly not believing him, but being smart enough to know not to push him.

"Since the creatura has been taken care of, let's go back." Zoro said, crossing his arms. "There's nothing left for us to do here." He then turned and headed back the way they originally came.

The other followed after him, but Usopp lagged behind to talk with Robin.

"He's not okay, is he?" Usopp said after a few minutes of silent walking.

Robin let out a sigh. "I don't believe so, Usopp." She looked over at him. "His whole world is about to be turned upside down." Robin glanced back at Zoro with a considering look before adding, "We're going to be busy for awhile."

* * *

**Well, there it is. What do you think? Is it something I should continue? And yes, I know. I absolutely _suck_ at writing fight scenes. I always make them so awkward. If there's anybody out there who writes kickass fight scenes, give me a PM. Maybe you can help me write my fight scenes better. Remember, this is just the beginning. Things will pick up soon, I swear! Please, _please_ leave a review. It'd make me so happy! \(^-^)/**


	3. Chapter 2

**Okay! Wow. First off, I'd like to thank everyone for the enthusiastic reviews I got. It made my day! I also wanna apologize for the long update time. The day I actually posted the story, I was leaving for DC later, and that's where I am now, so I've been a little distracted. But I finally got down what I wanted, so I'm posting! This chapter is more filler than anything else, and the main plot will (hopefully) pick up next chapter. It took me a little to think of where I wanted this story to go and what will happen, but I finally got it! You'll see as I go on. Anyways, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _One Piece_ or any of _One Piece_'s characters mentioned in this fic.**

**Warning: This is AU. Basically, all that remains are their names, faces, and a few personality traits, but other than that, the characters in this story are completely OOC.**

* * *

**_ONE WEEK LATER…_**

**Underworld; Dracule Family Palace**

Robin's heels made a rapid staccato on the marble floors as she briskly made her way to Zoro's bedroom. It's been a week since the whole thing with the Angels happened, and Zoro's been holed up in there, refusing to see or speak to anyone. In Robin's opinion, he's being utterly pigheaded and this foolish behavior has gone on long enough. She's almost positive he figured out what had happened between him and the Angel Prince, but with Zoro, one can never be absolutely sure. Right now, though, he's just being difficult. Hearing another pair of heavy footsteps behind her, she turned slightly to see Usopp running to catch up to her; she paused in her movements to let him.

Other than her, Usopp is the only one who had figured out what happened; the others might of, but they haven't said anything to her, so she doesn't know for sure.

Once they all returned to the Underworld, Usopp asked to speak with her in private, and once away from prying ears, he asked, point-blank, if the Angel Prince and Zoro are Destined. That actually surprised Robin, and when she asked how he figured it out (she wasn't about to deny it), he said he recognized the look Zoro got when he locked eyes with the raven-haired prince; it was the same look he and Kaya shared when they first crossed paths. It's not a look you can miss, if you know what to look for.

Once Usopp caught up with her, he immediately asked, "Are you gonna go talk to him?"

Robin just nodded, her mouth turned down in annoyance. "He's being completely unreasonable about all of this."

"I know. He can't just hide and wait for it to go away." Usopp said, irritated, as they both stopped in front of Zoro's bedroom door; reaching forward to grab the knob, Usopp found it locked. "Are you _kidding_ me?" He jiggled it again. "What is he, _two_?!"

"Seems he really doesn't want to be disturbed." Robin commented with an exasperated, yet amused, look.

Usopp started banging on the door. "Zoro! Open up!"

_"Fuck off!"_ came a clearly pissed-off voice from inside the room.

Robin shook her head as Usopp started yelling back; enough is enough. She doesn't know how, but she's got to get through Zoro's thick, stubborn skull that the Angel Prince being his Destined is _not_ the end of the world. Crossing her arms over her chest, she closed her eyes and, after accessing her "gift", unlocked the door from the inside.

"Try now." Robin said, dropping her arms back to her sides.

Usopp stopped in his tirade and looked back at her, confused. She just nodded towards the door. He shrugged and gripped the knob, but unlike before, it turned in his hand; he understood what happened then.

"Your "gift" is so handy sometimes." He commented, pushing the door open.

Robin just smiled.

They both walked inside the dimly-lit bedroom, Robin closing and locking the door behind her, before looking around for their friend. It took a few seconds, but they spotted him lounging in his sitting area, tending to his katanas. Exchanging quick looks, they made their way over to the right side of his room before each choosing a seat, rearranging their wings to a more comfortable position; nothing was said for several minutes as Zoro tried to ignore them, but their silence was anything _but_ that, and he finally sheathed Wadō with tense movements and looked up at them.

"What do you want?" he asked gruffly, his tail whipping back and forth in annoyance.

The two Demons merely stared back at him, willing to be patient.

Zoro returned their stares for several seconds before finally growling out, "I don't wanna talk about it."

Usopp, being the chatterbox he is, couldn't stay silent any longer. "But you _need_ to talk about it, Zoro! This—" Robin cut him off.

"You _are_ aware of what happened between you and Monkey D. Luffy, correct?" she asked, still holding his gaze.

He crossed his arms over his chest defensively, but nodded nonetheless.

"No, I want to hear you _say_ it, Zoro." Robin demanded; talking to Zoro sometimes is like pulling teeth: long and painful, but it'll be rewarding in the end (hopefully).

Zoro ground his teeth together before growling out, "He's my Destined."

"Very good." Robin nodded, completely ignoring the pained face he has on.

"Yeah!" Usopp exclaimed, trying to lift the mood. "Finding your Destined is the greatest thing that can happen to you!"

"I never wanted one." Zoro said, clenching his hands into fists.

"That's not really up to you." Usopp commented, but shut his mouth at Zoro's glare.

He went on like Usopp had never spoken. "I don't want one, and yet, I get one and it ends up being a fucking _Angel_!" Zoro stood up, unable to stay seated, and started pacing. "But no, not just _any_ Angel! It's the god damn _Angel_ _Prince_!"

Robin had to hide a giggle. "Yes, it does seem like Fate is messing with you."

"Fate can go shove it for all I care." Zoro huffed as he continued to pace. "I do _not_ want a Destined!"

Usopp bit his bottom lip to hold in his laughter; it's been a long time since Zoro's ranted like this. The green-haired Demon can usually be described as a man of few words, but sometimes its like he pops a cork and then he just won't shut up. It's pretty funny to witness.

"But having a Destined is great," Usopp felt the need to add.

"For you, maybe." Zoro said angrily. "Kaya's great and, oh yeah, she's _also a Demon!"_

_"_Angel and Demon pairings aren't unheard of, Zoro." Robin said patiently.

"Yeah? Then why haven't _I_ ever heard of one?" he snarked back.

"You never paid attention during your lessons?" Usopp offered before ducking quickly when Zoro threw a pillow at his face. "Hey! Watch the nose!"

"I said they aren't _unheard of_, Zoro." Robin said, crossing her legs. "I didn't say they were _common_."

"How many?" he asked in a challenging voice.

Robin thought back. "I've only read about it happening twice, but—"

"Only _twice_?!" he shouted, incredulous.

"_But_ there might be more that we've never heard of." Robin finished. "You know our libraries are lacking in material from certain time periods." Her tail flickered slightly in displeasure at that fact; Robin is a lover of history, _all_ history, and if someone does something to keep knowledge from being shared, she gets upset.

Zoro stalked over to his bed and, after carefully folding up his wings, dropped back onto it. "This is utter _bullshit_. Why did this have to happen to _me_?" He covered his face with his hands in exasperation.

Robin shrugged delicate shoulders. "It's up to Fate, you know that." She got up and walked over to the bed, sitting down next to him. "But, Zoro?" He removed his hands and looked up at her. "Fate is rarely ever wrong."

"That's what I'm afraid of," he muttered, covering his face again in utter defeat. "But why did it have to be an _Angel_?"

"Yeah," Usopp said, a smile tilting up one side of his mouth. "It's strange that you, of all people, would get paired with an Angel."

Zoro just grunted, not even in the mood to snap back for that comment, and Robin hid a giggle.

Neither Zoro or Usopp noticed the widely smiling, white specter that had been floating above them throughout the whole conversation—Robin did, obviously, but chose not to comment; the others are bound to find out, so why not get it over with now?

Not even a second after the specter vanished did heavy banging start coming from his bedroom door, followed by loud shouting. "Roronoa Zoro! You open the damn door _right now!" _That would be Bonney.

"Go away, Bonney!" Zoro yelled back, not even sitting up.

"Open the door or we'll be having this conversation by shouting through the door!" she screamed back.

"I don't wanna talk to you!" Zoro yelled, starting to get a headache. What did he do to deserve any of this?

"Oh, so you _want_ me to shout so loud the whole damn palace can hear me?!" she threatened. "They can hear all about how you have a Des—"

_"Stop!"_ Zoro screamed, a little panicked. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You know very well what I'm talking about," she shouted. "We all do!"

Zoro sat up at that. "Who's _"we"_?"

"How do you think we figured anything out?" That was Perona's voice.

"You _spectered_ me?! Zoro yelled, incredulous. _That damn nosey princess used her "gift" to snoop on me!_

"How else were we supposed to find out what was going on with you?" That was Kaya's voice, which caused Usopp to sit up a little in surprise. "We were all really worried."

"So when we saw Ms. Robin heading to your room, we decided to follow her." And there was Brook.

"And you can probably figure out the rest." Bonney said before huffing. "Now open this door!"

"Robin?" Zoro said, dropping back onto his bed in defeat.

Robin crossed her arms over her chest before a disembodied arm sprouted out of the wall next to the door and moved to unlock it; once done, the limb disappeared in a flurry of peach blossoms as quickly as it came. The four Demons piled inside, Brook turning back to lock the door, and moved towards Zoro instantly—though Kaya went to sit by her Destined instead.

Zoro chose to be mature…and ignore them.

Brook broke the uneasy silence a few minutes later. "So, you and the Angel Prince are Destined?"

That did it. Bonney, who was, frankly, still in shock over the whole thing, broke out in laughter, doubling over as tears ran down her cheeks the longer she laughed; it was bordering on hysterical. She waved her hand when her twin asked if she was okay before finally straightening up, wiping her eyes as she looked at the wholly unamused Zoro.

"I'm sorry." She said, though she didn't sound apologetic at all. "Just the thought of you having a Destined, Angel or not, is fuckin' _hilarious_."

As soon as that was said, the others finally saw the humor in the situation and they, too, started laughing, Robin even letting a few giggles loose; Zoro remained unimpressed, and getting angrier by the second.

"I'm glad my situation amuses you." He said flatly, glaring at everyone in the room; even though he only has one functioning eye, it was pretty damn impressive.

"You need to loosen up, Zoro." Perona said after she got her breath back. "You're acting like this is the worst thing that could've ever happen to you."

"Isn't it?" Zoro asked, eyebrow raised.

"No, it's not." Kaya answered, causing Zoro to look over at her. "You might not think so, but having a Destined is more than just Fate pairing two people together. It's about having someone who understands you at a soul deep level, sometimes knowing you better than you even know yourself." She laced her fingers with Usopp's gingerly. "You have a companion and a friend, someone you can always go to, someone you know will never judge you, no matter what you do or have done, though will be there to tell you you're an idiot when you are one." She smiled wistfully. "This person…they're your other-half, everything you're not. They complete you and now that you've found yours, Zoro, you'll never be the same. It's more than just pairings and more than just love. You physically and emotionally cannot live without this person. It'll cause you more pain than you ever thought possible."

"Wow." Bonney said a few minutes later. "That was deep, Kaya."

Kaya shrugged. "I just spoke from the heart." She smiled at Usopp before adding, "And experience."

"But you know what she's talking about, right Zoro?" Usopp asked, looking at his green-haired friend. "You can feel it right now, can't you?" When Zoro gave him a confused look, he elaborated. "It feels like something is tearing your chest apart from the inside, like your heart is being ripped in two, and you don't know why."

Zoro's silence was all the answer he needed.

"It won't get better." He advised. "If anything, the longer you ignore this, the worse it'll get."

"What the hell am I supposed to do then, huh?!" Zoro yelled, not wanting to admit that Usopp's spot on. "He's an _Angel_! I can't exactly go and visit him, can I?!"

"You wouldn't have been paired with him if Fate didn't have something special planned." Robin said wisely.

"Why don't I like the sound of that?" Bonney asked, looking around.

"You aren't the only one." Brook said, the others nodding in agreement.

"Regardless," Robin said, gaining everyones attention again. "This must be kept secret, understand?"

"How come?" Perona asked, curious.

"I don't know exactly _why_," Robin said, clasping her hands together, "but any mention of a Demon-Angel pairing has been erased from the libraries."

"What?" Zoro asked, eyebrows raised in surprise before furrowing in confusion. "Then how do you know there's been some before now?"

Robin just smiled her secretive smile. "I have my ways."

"That I don't doubt." Bonney said with a smirk.

"Yohoho," Brook laughed. "Ms. Robin_ is_ a clever one."

"But what does that have to do with keeping this a secret?" Perona asked, trying to stay on topic.

"The mentions of Demon-Angel pairings must have been erased from the libraries for a reason," Robin continued to explain. "And the only ones with the power and authority to do so would be the Elders." The others nodded in understanding, so Robin went on. "So finding out one of the prince's, but not just any prince, the son of the _Crowned_ Prince, got paired with an Angel, what do you think their reactions would be?"

"Nothing good." Usopp muttered out.

"Exactly." Robin said with a nod. "Does everyone understand why this needs to be kept quiet?"

She got nods in return.

"Do you have any idea _why_ the Elders would remove something like Demon-Angel pairings from the libraries?" Brook asked, leaning on his shikomizue.

Robin shook her head slowly. "I just don't know. But I intend to do as much research as I can on the subject." She glanced over at Zoro. "You just need to be careful of what you say and who you say it to." She ran a hand through her hair, slightly agitated. "It has already been decided that staying _away_ from the Angel Prince wouldn't be good for your health, so we're going to need to find a way for you to meet with him without rousing any suspicions."

Zoro blew out a resigned breath. "I was afraid you'd say that."

_What the _**_hell_ **_is__going on here?_

* * *

**Elysium; Monkey Family Palace**

"Now, if I was Luffy, where would I be?" Sanji asked himself as he prowled around the hallways; suddenly, he stopped and smacked himself in the face. "The kitchen! Where else would that living garbage disposal be?"

He turned around and walked the familiar route to Luffy's personal kitchen (yes, he has one), greeting the other palace residents as he passed by. It's been a week since the mission and that whole debacle with the Demons happened and Luffy hasn't been acting like himself at all. He has everyone worried, but today was the worst; when he was supposed to be at training—which he loves—Luffy never showed up and no one could find him. After waiting for about twenty minutes, Sanji volunteered to go searching for the young Crowned Prince—though, he really just wanted an excuse to be alone with Luffy, to ask what the hell is going on with him; Luffy hasn't been on his own too often ever since they reported to King Dragon what had happened with the mission. Ace, being the excessively overprotective older brother he is, refused to let Luffy out of his sight after that, and Sabo wasn't much better.

Sanji breathed out a puff of smoke as he reached the kitchen door and walked inside. Like expected, Luffy was in here; what was _unexpected, _though, is the fact that Luffy's laying spread-eagle on the kitchen table, not pillaging through the fridge like he always does. Come to think of it, Luffy hasn't been eating as much as he usually does; being his chef, he'd know.

…yeah, something is _definitely_ wrong with him.

"Luffy?" Sanji asked softly, walking over to him. "You okay?"

He got a shrug in reply.

"You're missing out on training." Sanji mentioned.

Another shrug.

Sanji sighed out before sitting down in one of the chairs. "Luffy, please talk to me. You have everyone worried." He honestly doesn't know what to do anymore.

Luffy sighed out before turning his head to look at him. "Sanji, why does my heart feel like its being torn apart?"

Sanji blinked in surprise; _that_ wasn't at _all_ what he expected Luffy to say, though that feeling _does_ sound somewhat familiar… What was it?

"What do you mean?" he asked instead.

Luffy pushed himself up onto his elbows. "I feel…funny."

"I got that much." Sanji said, taking a drag off his cigarette. "_Why_ do you feel funny? You've been acting like this for a week now, ever since we…" he trailed off, something occurring to him.

This whole thing started after that mission and meeting those Demons. So these instances _are_ connected. But why? And how? Sanji leaned back in the chair as he thought over everything that happened during that mission, focusing on when the Demons arrived, since the mission itself was pretty run-of-the-mill. Scanning through his memories didn't reveal anything—wait…no, that can't be possible.

Quickly looking back up at Luffy, he asked urgently, "Luffy, did you start feeling funny after you saw that green-haired Demon?" And even _thinking_ about that idiot moss head set his teeth on edge.

Luffy popped up all the way, nodding quickly. "Yeah, it did! But how did you know that?"

_Oh shit,_ Sanji thought with dread before saying, "Luffy, I want you to tell me _exactly_ how you felt when you locked eyes with that Demon, okay?"

Luffy nodded in understanding before his face morphed into what everyone called his "thinking face"; it looked kind of painful. After a few silent, tense minutes, Luffy popped upright again and turned towards Sanji, carefully rearranging his wings as he moved to sit indian-style, still on top of the table.

"Luffy?" Sanji said expectantly.

"I don't know how to exactly describe it," Luffy started, fiddling with his fingers. "But it kinda felt like that one time when I drank Chopper's energy tonic thing and I couldn't stop bouncing around for days and my whole body was twitchy. Remember?"

"Yeah, I do. So, excess energy and twitchiness?" Sanji questioned, but he could see the hesitancy on Luffy's face, so he tried a different word. "Buzzy?" That got him a cocked head of confusion. "Like a shock? Like electricity running through…" he trailed off there. "Oh, right. You wouldn't know what that feels like, being rubber and all." Sanji sighed out, irritated, before finally just going with, "Was it like you had something inside you that you couldn't shake off, like pure heat and something fizzy running through your body?"

Luffy pursed his lips in consideration before nodding. "I guess…"

Sanji didn't even hear him as he went on, his mind back in the past. "Like something was missing, something you didn't even _know_ was missing until that exact moment when that special something clicked into place."

Luffy perked up even more, his wings unfurling accidentally in excitement. "Exactly!" Then he tilted his head, bemused, as he folded his wings back up. "How did you know that, Sanji?"

Sanji swallowed. "Because that's how it feels when you find your Destined." He inhaled deeply on his cigarette before blowing it all out. "That's what I felt the moment my eyes locked with Viola's."

Luffy blinked once, then again, before realization finally dawned on him. "Wait, you mean that De_—_" He was cut off by Sanji's hand being slapped over his mouth.

"Shh!" Sanji hissed out. "Not here." He glanced around before saying, "Let's go back to your room, okay?"

Luffy nodded, since his mouth was still covered.

Once he was sure Luffy would stay quiet_—_as quiet as Luffy can be, anyway_—_he got up and the two Angels left the kitchen and headed straight for Luffy's room, bypassing everyone who tried to talk to the young Crowned Prince on the way. Once in, Luffy hopped up onto his bed while Sanji closed and locked the door, leaning against it for a minute to sort through everything.

_If what Luffy's saying is true_, Sanji's thoughts finally landed on, _then we got a _**_huge_**_ problem here. _

Lighting up another cigarette, Sanji walked over to where Luffy was sitting before squatting down some and placing both his hands on Luffy's shoulders; Luffy just looked back at Sanji in confusion.

"What's wrong?" the raven-haired prince asked innocently.

"You do realize what this mean, right?" Sanji asked instead, wanting to make sure Luffy understands.

It took a minute for Luffy to catch up with what Sanji's saying, but once he did, he nodded in confirmation. "Yeah, I do. It means that green-haired Demon guy is my Destined, right?"

Sanji slowly sighed. "Yeah, it does."

"Is that a bad thing?" Luffy asked, eyes wide.

"It's not normal." Sanji answered, taking a step back. "Angels and Demons don't usually get paired up."

"Really?" Luffy wondered.

Sanji scratched at the back of his head; he honestly didn't know any more than Luffy does on the subject, so he doesn't know how to explain this to him. Then a thought came to him. _Nami-swan would be so much better at explaining this! I'll go get her!_

Nodding affirmatively, Sanji stepped forward before bending down to look straight in Luffy's eyes. "I'm gonna go get Nami-_swan_. She'll probably know more about this, but in the mean time, do _not_ go anywhere, okay? And don't talk to anybody about this!"

"'Kay!" Luffy said, smile wide.

Sanji huffed before turning and leaving the room, heading to where he hopes Nami is.

**_TEN MINUTES LATER…_**

"I'm coming!" a loud female voice said from outside Luffy's bedroom. "Stop rushing!"

There was a knock before the door swung open and both Sanji and Nami walked in, Sanji turning to lock it once they were in. Nami raised an eyebrow at his weird behavior before facing Luffy, who had stayed seated on his bed the whole time Sanji was gone. Nami then looked between the two male Angels before sighing out in exasperation.

"Would somebody tell me what the _hell_ is going on?" Nami snapped out.

Sanji, who's leaning with his back against the door, breathed out slowly, trying to find the right words to describe it all. How does one describe this? Finding none, Sanji just went with the simplest option: be blunt.

"Luffy's Destined is a Demon." Sanji simply said.

Nami blinked, opened her mouth to reply but found that no words would come out, so she closed it and went back to staring between the two. It took several minutes but Nami finally gathered her wits before turning to look directly at Sanji.

"Luffy's Destined is a Demon." Nami repeated flatly and Sanji just nodded, which caused Nami to finally explode. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU _MEAN_ HIS DESTINED IS A DEMON?! WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?! WHICH DEMON?! HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS?!"

"Do you remember last week?" Sanji asked after Nami finally stopped yelling.

"Of course I…" she trailed off. "_Oh_. I see. That's when it happened." Laying her forehead in her palm and massaging it, she asked, "Which one of those seven we saw is it?"

"The green-haired one." Luffy answered, a little meek; Nami's scary when she gets like this.

Nami simply blinked again before yelling, "YOU MEAN THE GREEN-HAIRED _PRINCE?!_ THAT ONE?! ARE YOU _KIDDING_ ME?! A _PRINCE?!_"

"Nami-_swan_, please calm down." Sanji pleaded, walking a little closer to her. "We don't want the whole palace knowing something's wrong."

That stopped Nami in her tracks. She took in a deep, calming breath before blowing everything out; once her heart stopped beating in her ears, she nodded. "Okay, I'm better."

"Good." Sanji said, smiling softly at her before getting back on track. "Now we need to figure out what the hell we're going to do."

"What d'ya mean?" Luffy asked, lost.

"Well, your Destined is a Demon." Nami stated, crossing her arms. "There isn't much we can do about that." Sanji nodded in agreement at that. "But what we _can_ do is not tell _anyone _else, got it?"

"Why not?" Luffy asked—not disagreeing, just curious.

"Having an Angel and Demon Destined is not unheard of," Nami said, moving to sit down in one of Luffy's armchairs, "but the Elders don't generally _like_ when it happens."

"Has it happened before then?" Sanji asked, back to leaning against the door.

"Oh! I know!" Luffy exclaimed, waving his hands enthusiastically. "Ace's parents!"

Nami nodded. "Yes, Queen Rouge was Destined to Ace's father, who, at the time, was the Demon King."

"King Gol D. Roger, right?" Sanji asked, remembering back to his lessons.

"Yup." Nami said, leaning back. "And it's happened after that too, though I don't know names since any mention of it has been erased from all the libraries." She tilted her head in consideration. "Now that I think about it, any mention of Ace's parents being Destined had been erased too. The only reason we know about them is because of Ace himself."

"The Elders covered up any mention of an Angel-Demon pairing happening before?" Sanji asked, perplexed.

"Seems that way." Nami said, then shrugged. "But that's all I know for sure."

Luffy rocked back and forth rhythmically before asking, "What do we do now?"

"That's the question, isn't it?" Sanji said, puffing on his cigarette, before looking at Nami again. "Do you think anyone else saw what happened?"

"What do you mean?" Nami asked, headed tilted slightly.

"Do you think there's any chance the others figured anything out?" he clarified, staring at the smoke from his cigarette as it spiraled up. "I mean, they were there too."

"You're right." Nami said, nodding in understanding. "Should we clue them in?" She turned to look at Luffy, who was still rocking back and forth. "Luffy? What do you want to do?"

Luffy's head tilted from one side then to the other. "I don't really care. Would it make things easier if we did?"

"I don't think it'd really make that much of a difference." Nami said after a few seconds of contemplation. "But we might as well. We won't be able to keep this from them for long."

Sanji nodded in agreement. "Right. Our friends aren't complete idiots." He took in one last drag. "Do you know where they are?"

"Last I heard, they were hanging out in the training center." Nami said before pushing herself out of the chair. "I'll go get them real quick."

"Can you bring them to the kitchen?" Sanji asked.

"Why there?" she asked.

_Growl._ The two Angels looked over at Luffy, who was holding his stomach with a pained looked on his face.

"I'm soooooo hungry." Luffy whined out, flopping sideways on his bed.

"That's why." Sanji answered with an amused look. "Come on, Luffy. I'll make you a snack."

"Meat?" Luffy immediately asked, popping upright.

Sanji blew out a breath. "Sure. If that's what you want."

"Woohoo!" Luffy cheered before vaulting off of his bed and running out of his room, heading right for the kitchen. "I'm coming meat!"

"Seems like he's feeling better." Nami said, though a smile is found on her face.

"Yeah." Sanji said, following her out of the room before murmuring, "I'm glad."

**_FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER, IN THE KITCHEN…_**

"HIS DESTINED IS A _WHAT_?!" Nojiko shouted, reacting just like Nami did.

Everyone_—_minus Sanji and Nami_—_turned to look at Luffy, who was currently scarfing down plate after plate of food as soon as Sanji put them down, not even paying attention to the conversation. To say they are shocked would be an understatement.

Nami whacked her sister on the arm. "Shush, would you! We don't want the whole palace knowing!"

"So, let me get this straight," Franky said, leaning slightly on the table. "That green-haired Demon, a _Demon Prince_, is our little Luffy's Destined? For real?"

"It seems that way." Sanji replied, stirring something on the stovetop.

"That's really…_wow._" Chopper said, not knowing what else to say to the news.

"That pretty much sums it up." Nojiko said, leaning back in her chair.

"You find anything yet, Vivi?" Nami asked, glancing over the princess's shoulder.

"I think I might have his name." Vivi said, looking up from the book she was pursuing. "Thankfully we have a list of every Royalty the Demons have, listed by the Royal Lines they come from."

"How did you find him then?" Franky asked, considering the large book with raised eyebrows. "That's a pretty hefty book."

"Oh, it comes with descriptions." Vivi said, waving him off. "Not that hard to find a youngish, green-haired Demon that uses three katanas."

"Do the Demons have one of those on Angel Royalty?" Chopper asked, curious.

Vivi just nodded a _yes_ before looking over at Nami. "But like I was saying, I think I know who he is."

A slurping sound came from Luffy before he asked, "Who?"

Vivi moved her gaze to Luffy then back down at the book. "Roronoa Zoro. He comes from the 3rd Royal Line, son of Dracule Mihawk."

Sanji's eyebrows went up as he turned to look at Vivi. "_Dracule Mihawk? _That moss head is his _son_?"

"Yes." Vivi said, looking over at Sanji, not even commenting on the nickname. "Why? Have you heard of him?"

He blew out a lungful of smoke. "You could say that." He turned the heat on the stove to _simmer_ before giving the others his full attention. "He's considered the strongest Demon Warrior they have, meaning he's on _Shanks'_ level of skill."

"Damn." Franky whistled out. They all know how powerful the red-haired prince is.

Nami looked over at Sanji, nodding, before she added, "He's also their Crowned Prince."

**. . .**

"_Seriously_?!" Nojiko screeched out, then looked at Luffy. "You really know how to choose them, Lu." Luffy blinked back at her innocently.

"It's not like he has a say in the matter, Nojiko." Nami reprimanded, stretching her arms out. "Fate makes the choice and you're stuck with it, no matter what."

"And, believe it or not, Fate usually knows what its doing." Sanji said, staring at his cigarette, like it held the secret to everything. "As much as I hate to say it, we're just gonna have to see where this whole thing leads us."

"I don't think there's much else we _can_ do." Vivi said thoughtfully. "The damage has already been done."

"_And_," Nami added loudly, making sure she had everyone's attention. "We have to make sure _no one_ finds out about this. Not the king, not his brothers, not Shanks, and _especially_ not the Elders, got it?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Can I tell Viola, though?" Sanji asked, looking uneasy at the idea of keeping anything from his Destined.

Nami considered it before finally nodding. "Yeah, that should be okay. Just make sure she knows not to tell anyone."

Luffy, after finishing the last plate, watched everyone talk around him. He leaned back in his seat as his thoughts landed on that green-haired Demon. _Roronoa Zoro_, Luffy thought to himself, causing a shiver to run down his spine. _I wonder what he's like? Is he a fun guy or more serious? Does he like food? I wonder if I'd like him? Would he like me?_ Luffy really wants to know the answers to these questions, but unless he can track the Demon down, he has no way of even _speaking_ to him. That thought depressed him more than anything else.

_What was Fate _**_thinking_**_?_

* * *

**So, how was that? Leave your opinions, they make me happy! Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up soon. *(^_^)***


	4. Chapter 3

**Thank you for your reviews and favs and follows! I'm so happy people seem to enjoy my fic! I think I got where the story is gonna go planned out in my head, so I at least got that! The problem is actually _writing it down_. That's always my problem: transferring my thoughts onto paper, so to speak. I'll try my hardest, don't you worry, cuz I'm actually really enjoying this concept. Doesn't hurt that I absolutely love ZoLu! Oh, and for those who wanna know (I'm talking to you, MetalEmber23), I'm gonna _try _(being the key word here) to at least update once a week, twice if I'm lucky and I can actually get my ideas down on paper! No exact _days_ planned, but I'll try for once a week. And I apologize in advance if something comes up or my brain goes on strike and I can't get anything down that week, but I'****ll try my hardest for the next week. Please hang in there with me! I'll make it worth your while! Now, without any further words from me, here is the next chapter! Enjoy! \(^_^)/**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _One Piece_ or any of _One Piece_'s characters mentioned in this fic.**

**Warning: This is AU. Basically, all that remains are their names, faces, and a few personality traits, but other than that, the characters in this story are completely OOC.**

* * *

Two weeks have passed by and it seems Luffy has returned to his regular, bouncy, ravenous, hyperactive self; at least, that's what it appears like to everyone else. But to his closest friends—those who _know_ a lot more than the others do—they could see the faint shadows beneath his eyes, the unusual tenseness that plagued his frame, the way his smile wasn't as wide as it usually was. They hated this, and they hated the fact that there was absolutely _nothing_ they could do about it.

As for Luffy himself, the feeling in his chest, in his _heart_, kept getting worse and worse until he could barely stand it; every breath he took hurt and every beat of his heart pained him, and he honestly doesn't know how much longer he can put up with it. How does he fix this? His friends can't do anything, even though they try really hard to; the only way for him to feel any better would be to actually, physically _see_ the green-haired Demon—_Roronoa Zoro_—but there's no way he can do _that_. He wouldn't even know _how_ to go about finding him. He tried to think of something he could do, _anything_, but all that led to was a major headache.

He drops back onto his bed, wings spread out wide, before shouting, "My head _huuuuuuurts_!"

"What are you yelling about in there, Luffy?" Sanji asked, leaning in the open doorway, eyebrows raised; he had been passing by on his way to the kitchen when he heard a loud shout come from the bedroom.

Luffy, surprised at the sudden appearance, sat up and instantly plastered on a smile, though it looked painfully fake. "Hey, Sanji!"

Sanji just continued to stare at him, slowly smoking his cigarette.

Luffy's smile dimmed until it completely disappeared and he flopped back down, a long, drawn-out sigh coming from him.

"This can't go on much longer." Sanji finally stated, moving inside the room after closing the door. "You're getting worse."

"There's nothing I can do!" Luffy complained, smacking his hands on the bed. "I hate this!" He turned his head to the side and pouted. "I feel so powerless."

Sanji's eyebrows raised in surprise. This is the first time Luffy ever spoke aloud about what he was feeling…and it's as bad as he suspected it was. He sat down next to Luffy, making sure not to crush his wings, before laying a comforting hand on his arm; he wished there was _something_ he could do.

Luffy recognized the gesture, though, and gave a small, genuine smile. "Thanks, Sanji."

Sanji squeezed his arm. "Maybe you should take a little break?"

"Break?" Luffy asked, tilting his head.

"Yeah, we've been dealing with creaturas nonstop." Sanji commented, inhaling deeply on his cigarette. "Which is really abnormal, but, regardless…go somewhere and take some time to gather yourself."

Luffy pursed his lips in thought before deciding on the perfect place. He popped upright and smiled, a true one, and nodded at Sanji. "I think I will. Can you—"

"I'll cover for you, don't worry." Sanji said, waving him off. "Just go. Maybe this will be good for you."

Luffy hopped off his bed and, after grabbing his cloak, ran out his door, heading straight for the Transportation Center; nobody would question the sudden usage, being the Crowned Prince and all. Luckily, nobody stopped him on his way, so once he entered the correct coordinates of where he wanted to go, he stepped onto the platform and waited for it to move into place. Once there, he spread out his wings and leaped off, catching the wind and soaring downward.

It took him a little over three hours to get to the forests on the outskirts of Dawn City, but once there, he headed a little North, to where he once spotted a small clearing that'd be a perfect place to relax. After traveling for a little over half-an-hour, he finally made it, and a smile graced his face. The clearing itself was circular and surrounded on all sides by trees with thick grass growing everywhere, as well as multicolored flowers sprinkled here and there; a small stream trickled through the center and right now, the sun was shining. This place was definitely where he needed to be.

Moving to the center of the clearing, he pulled off his cloak, folding it up and placing it next to him, followed by his tie, sandals, and straw hat; he rolled the sleeves of his dress shirt up to his elbows and unbuttoned the top few buttons before dropping and folding his legs, indian-style. He moved his hands into position before closing his eyes, centering himself like Shanks had once taught him; maybe a good meditation will give him an idea on what to do.

* * *

Zoro tensed suddenly and whipped around, staring out—in the direction of the forested area—as he felt a familiar energy brush against his Observation Haki. His whole body felt like it just received an electric shock as that warm, bright energy registered to him, feeling exactly like it did the first time he felt it. There's no doubt about it, that Angel is somewhere in Dawn City, so tantalizingly close. _Monkey D. Luffy_. His reaction caused the other Demons who were with him to stop their conversations and look at him with confusion, not understanding what was wrong with him.

Robin placed a hand on Zoro's shoulder, a little concerned. "Zoro? Is everything alright?"

"He's here." Zoro simply said, focusing his Haki on that particular energy.

"Who's here?" Usopp asked, coming around Zoro's other side.

Zoro spared a glance at Usopp. "_Him._"

"Him?" Usopp asked, confused, before Robin looked at him with eyebrows raised and it hit him. "Oh! _Him_." Then his eyebrows went up in surprise. "Wait, he's _here_? As in _here_ here? In Dawn City?"

"That's what I said." Zoro said distractedly, still focusing on his Haki. _If I can just find out where exactly he _**_is_**_…_

Robin looked behind her at the twins with a questioning look. "Can you two feel anything?"

Bonney turned in the direction Zoro was facing and focused before nodding slightly. "Somewhat." She looked at Robin. "I vaguely remember what he feels like from when we first met, but only because I've never felt an energy that was so _bright_ before."

"I know what you mean." Perona said, looking over at them. "It was kinda like standing next to the sun."

"It was also really…wild." Bonney said, tilting her head.

"Wild?" Brook asked, confused.

"Erratic." Perona filled in, understanding what her twin was saying. "It never stayed still, always bouncing in place." Her lips pursed in thought then. "But now…"

"Now?" Robin asked, glancing back Zoro.

"It's somehow…less." Perona said, Bonney nodding in agreement. "I don't know how, but it's like his energy has been turned down a notch, or something."

"Like there's something physically wrong with him?" Kaya suddenly asked, interjecting herself in the conversation.

"I guess?" Perona said, not exactly sure.

"Then he's feeling it as well." Kaya said with a nod, gaining confused looks from everyone but Zoro (who's still trying to find where Luffy _is_).

"I told you this before," Kaya explained, clasping her hands in front of her. "The longer the two of them stay apart, the worse Zoro will feel." She sighed out. "That also applies to the Angel."

"Wait," Bonney said, looking at Kaya. "So what your saying is what Zoro's going through right now, the whole chest pain thing, that Angel is also feeling it as well?"

"Exactly." Kaya said with a nod. "So I'm guessing that's why his energy is so…sedate. He's not doing so well with this whole mess either." She frowned in sympathy. "Poor thing." He might be an Angel, but she's a Healer at heart, and she'd never wish pain on anyone (that didn't deserve it).

"That can't be good." Brook said, looking at everyone, before asking, "Do you think any of the other Angels, or their Elders, found out about him and Zoro?"

"I don't think so." Robin said, leaning her cheek in her hand. "Seeing as the Angel Prince is down _here_, and not chained up somewhere, means he was able to hide his pain as well as Zoro could from his fellow Angels."

The others cringed at the _chained up somewhere_ part. Robin can be kind of morbid when she wants.

"Found him!" Zoro suddenly exclaimed, jarring everyone.

"You did?" Usopp asked, turning to look at his friend again.

Zoro nodded. "He's somewhere in the northern part of the forest."

"So?" Bonney asked, eyebrow raised.

"So what?" Zoro asked trying to look indifferent, though his tail was giving away his excitement.

Everyone rolled their eyes at once. Who was he trying to kid?

Robin then walked up to him and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Go, Zoro."

"But—" Robin cut him off with an angry look.

"You are going to go see him." Robin said—commanded—as she stared him down. "You heard what Kaya has said. The longer you go without seeing him, the worse you will be." She smiled slightly then. "So go to him."

He still looked unsure.

"We'll cover for you." Usopp said with a smile. "No one will know anything."

"Even with my dad?" Zoro asked, eyebrow raised in disbelief.

Everyone swallowed—except for Robin—at the collective thought of _lying_ to Dracule Mihawk, but nodded all the same.

"Even to your father." Robin confirmed aloud, then bodily turned him before pushing. "Now go!"

"Pushy." Zoro muttered before spreading his wings and pushing off the ground, taking to the sky.

"Hopefully this helps." Usopp said, watching as their friend flew off.

"If it doesn't, I don't think anything else _will_." Robin said before turning. "Now let's go home."

Zoro pushed his wings as fast as they would go, wanting to get to the forest as fast as he could. He didn't want to admit it in front of the others, but he knew they were right. The minute he felt that presence brush his Haki, it was all he could do to stop himself from taking off then. That warm energy was pulling him, like a siren's call, and it was almost impossible to ignore. He never thought he'd get a chance to actually _see_ the Angel Prince again, but like Robin said, Fate doesn't make mistakes. He twisted in the air and slowed down slightly as he reached the tree line, and spread out his Haki again, trying to pinpoint _exactly_ where the Angel was.

"Gotcha." Zoro whispered out a few moments later, zeroing in on his energy.

He pushed downwards on his wings and flew through the trees, twisting like a graceful panther to miss each tree as it came upon him. After flying for half-an-hour, he finally felt close enough, so he decided to land and walk the rest of the way. Swallowing against a bout of uncharacteristic nervousness, Zoro pushed forward, trying to make as little noise as possible. The closer he got to that bright energy, the more excited, and nervous, he got. Finally reaching the tree line, he stayed in the shadows as he surveyed the area; it seems he found himself in a clearing of some sort, full of beautiful flowers and a little stream…with a single Angel sitting in front of it.

_It's him, _he thought instantly, swallowing slightly.

The Angel Prince was sitting cross-legged in front of the stream in full Angel Form, though he seemed to be missing his cloak, tie, shoes and that straw hat Zoro saw him with the first time; a second later, he saw those items sitting next to him. His dress shirt was unbuttoned slightly and the sleeves rolled up and, of course, his Royal circlet sat around his head. He looked so…casual like this. Zoro then took a minute to just _look_ at him, drink in everything he possibly can.

The Angel's a bit shorter and much slimmer than himself, but he _can_ see the muscles, like steel-wires, shifting under his skin, which is lightly tanned and looks soft to the touch. He barely has any scars on him, unlike himself; the only two scars that stood out is the stitched one under his left eye and the one peeking out of his shirt, kinda looking like a burn scar, over his chest. He has a very boyish face, with messy ebony black hair, smooth skin, and eyes that looked dark and large compared to the rest of his face; his nose is small, pointing slightly up at the end, and his chin is small but well-formed as well. What captivated Zoro, though, were the large, white angelic wings arching up from his back. They're _beautiful_, like all Angel wings are, but what stood out were the gold specks that caught the sunlight and glimmered. They also looked so _soft;_ his hand twitched slightly at the _need_ to touch one.

Now that he's actually _here_, with the Angel Prince, his _Destined_, right in front of him, he has absolutely no idea what to do. Seems he didn't need to fret over that for much longer…

"I know you're there." The Angel Prince suddenly said, startling Zoro slightly. "You don't need to hide from me."

Zoro huffed slightly at that. He doesn't _hide_ from anyone, and he said as much to the Angel.

That caused an amused laugh to come from him, warming Zoro up slightly, before he replied, "Then come out here."

Knowing he really had nothing to lose at this point, Zoro took in a deep breath before stepping out of the shadows and into the light.

Luffy turned his head when he heard the leaves crinkle slightly as someone stepped over them and now, standing before the trees, is the Demon that's been plaguing his thoughts for the past three weeks. He had sensed him the minute he entered the forest, but didn't make a move, wanting to see what he'd do first. After half-an-hour or so went by and the Demon never came forward, Luffy got impatient and finally called out to him. He's so glad he did.

The moment the Demon, _Zoro_, was in his sightline, the compressive feeling in his chest started loosening, making it so much easier to _breathe_. Luffy tilted his head in contemplation as he studied the green-haired Demon, his mouth curved in a smile. He seemed to be in full Demon Form_—_cloak, circlet, and outfit_—_with his large, black and silver wings folded up behind him and his tail flickering slightly from side-to-side. Luffy doesn't quite know what to say yet, so he just continues looking over him.

Shortish, slightly slicked back and messy green hair over a squared face, with hunter green eyes, one kept closed by a vertical scar, a straight nose, stern mouth, and strong jaw; there's also three, gold dangling earrings in his left ear, complementing the three katanas bundled over his right hip. Below his face is a broad neck that went down to broader shoulders and a tall, muscular body, with a large, stitched scar peeking out the top of his shirt. Luffy doesn't think that the two he sees are Zoro's only scars. His eyes shift back to the katanas again. _So, a swordsman._

Swallowing slightly, he peered back up at the Demon's face, eyes catching with his one opened eye. The two simply stared at each other, still not knowing what to say, but seemed content just to look at each other. Luffy, not known for sitting still for _too_ long, started shifting in place before bodily turning so he was facing the Demon, though still sitting cross-legged.

Pursing his lips and tilting his head, he opened his mouth and what came out was a simple "Hi." It was a start.

Zoro blinked, being jarred out of his thoughts at the simple word the Angel spoke. He seemed expectant, waiting for Zoro to speak back, but Zoro had no idea what to say! What the hell is he doing? Why is he so fuckin' nervous about speaking to _one_ guy? Yeah, he might be his Destined and an Angel, but that shouldn't turn Zoro into a fuckin' mute! Finally breathing out, he moved from his standing position and closer to Luffy before dropping down in a seated position mirroring the Angel's, though shifting his katanas to a more comfortable place.

"Hi." Zoro said back.

Luffy looked at Zoro for a second before starting to laugh; he doesn't know why, but he does, loud peals of laughter coming out of him until he has tears running down his cheeks. Zoro tilts his head slightly, but isn't offended. He knows the Angel isn't laughing at him, but at this whole situation.

"I'm sorry." Luffy choked out, trying to breathe normally again. "I'm not laughing at you, I swear!" He took a few more deep breaths after.

"I know." Zoro answered simply, shrugging his shoulders.

Luffy peered up at him, breath back and eyes wide with wonder. "You do?"

Zoro waved his arm around. "It's this whole _mess_ we've found ourselves, isn't it?" He quirked up his lips. "It _is_ pretty funny, once you think about it."

"Wow." Luffy breathed out. That was _exactly_ why he'd been laughing, but for this Demon—who he's only met _once_ and for, like, five minutes—to know that…

"So it is true." Luffy said, propping his leg up so he could rest his elbow on his knee.

Zoro furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What's true?"

"Us." Luffy answered, staring at Zoro with simple fascination.

"Us?" Zoro asked slowly before breathing out; that was one of his main concerns, that the Angel would have no idea what's going on, but Zoro guessed he worried for nothing. "You mean us being…" He couldn't quite say it aloud yet.

"Destined?" Luffy had no problem doing so, however. "Yeah, that's what I mean. One of my friends told me that Destined are able to understand each other on a deeper level…or something like that." Luffy cocked his head, a little confused. "I think that just happened."

Zoro shook his head; this Angel is _nothing_ like he expected. "Yeah, I heard the same thing." He scooted forward some, closer to the Angel.

Luffy smiled widely, the first one in ages, then something occurred to him. He's been extremely rude! Clearing his throat some and sitting up slightly, he said, "My name's Monkey D. Luffy. Nice to meet ya!" Then he bowed, like his brother had taught him to.

Zoro had to bite his lip to stop from laughing; this Angel…he's so strange! But he returned the favor anyways. "Roronoa Zoro. Pleasure." He smirked then, and couldn't resist running a lazy eye over the Angel's lithe form.

Luffy, of course, totally missed the appreciative gaze he was being subjected to (being the oblivious little thing he is). Instead, he brought both legs up so he could lean his chin on his knees before wrapping his arms around them and said, "So, what now?"

_Good question._

Zoro shrugged. "I don't really know." He looked to the side contemplatively. "Didn't think I'd get _this_ far."

"This far?" Luffy questioned.

"Seeing you again." Zoro supplied, propping an arm up on his bent leg. "The last few weeks have been hell."

Luffy nodded in agreement. "I know. I didn't think I could last much longer, to be honest." But then a large grin spread across his face. "I'm so glad Sanji suggested doing this."

Zoro bristled some, not prepared for the flash of jealously and possessiveness that flashed through him when Luffy said that. "Who's Sanji?"

Luffy completely missed the hint of growl Zoro's voice held and answered, "He's one of my best friends! He's the greatest."

Zoro breathed out a growl, trying to tame this weird feeling, and said, "What's he like?" _Nope, not jealous, not one bit, no jealously here!_

Luffy's smile widened even more. "I've known him for, like, ever! His dad works in my house as our chef, but Sanji is _my_ personal chef. He cooks the yummiest foods!" Luffy's mouth drooled just thinking about Sanji's dishes, before shaking his head. "He also looks after me 'cuz my dad tells him to, but really doesn't need to! I'm really strong myself."

Zoro's eye trailed along the obvious sight of muscle on the Angel's physique and couldn't disagree with that, though hearing how _great_ this Sanji guy is isn't doing his temper any good; his tail whipped along the ground in annoyance.

Luffy went on, not noticing the way Zoro's nails were starting to embed in the soil beneath them. "But he's strong too! Probably the strongest in our group after me."

"Your group?" Zoro questioned, trying to keep his mind preoccupied.

Luffy nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! I'm an Angel Warrior! And I work with a group of six others…five Warriors and a Healer."

Something occurred to Zoro then. "Were those the other Angels I saw with you before?"

"Yup!" Luffy exclaimed, bouncing in place. "There's me, Sanji, Nami, Nojiko, Franky, Vivi, and Chopper!" He ticked off each one with his fingers.

Swallowing slightly, he asked, "So who's who?"

Luffy leaned a palm on the ground as his face screwed up in thought. "Well…Nami, Nojiko and Vivi are the only girls in our group—"

"I think I got that much." Zoro said dryly.

Luffy went on. "Nami has long orange hair and fights with a blue staff," Zoro remembered her, "Nojiko is her older sister and has shorter periwinkle hair and a pointy spear," Zoro nodded, recalling her, "and Vivi has long blue hair and is a Royal like me." Zoro nodded one last time, remembering the only other Royal there.

"And what about the others?" Zoro asked, keeping calm; hearing the amount of affection in Luffy's voice while talking about his friends is making him feel…odd.

Luffy perked up again. "Well, there's Chopper, our Healer! He's the youngest out of us and was wearing the blue cap." Zoro remembered him. "He can also turn into a reindeer!"

"What?!" Zoro asked in surprise. "He has a "gift"?"

Luffy nodded. "Yup! Just like me!"

Zoro blinked. "You have a "gift"? What is—" He then cut himself off. "We'll come back to this in a minute. Continue about your friends."

"Kay!" Luffy exclaimed, unfazed. "Then there's Franky. He's super tall and has bright blue hair!" Zoro recalled him. "He punches things, like me, but mine hurt more."

Zoro cracked a smile at that, then frowned. Wait a second…he mentally counted back in his head and matched the faces to names and almost groaned aloud. Oh shit, Luffy hasn't gotten to this Sanji guy yet and the only person Luffy hasn't described yet was—

"And then there's Sanji!" Luffy said, missing Zoro's furrowing brow. "He has blond hair that he wears over his face for some reason and his eyebrows are _so_ cool! Though he doesn't like them. They curl at one side, _oh_, and he's always smoking a cigarette."

Zoro let out a low growl. He was afraid of that. Of course the _one_ Angel who seemed to get under Zoro's skin in all the wrong ways happens to be one of Luffy's closest friends. That damn arrogant blond who did much of the talking at their last meeting. Why? Why, out of all the Angels, did that prick have to be so close to Luffy? He didn't like it.

"Zoro?" Luffy questioned, noticing the death glare the ground was currently receiving. "Zoro! You in there?" He waved a hand in front of Zoro's face and the Demon snapped back automatically.

"What?" he asked, shaking his head.

"You okay?" Luffy asked, tilting his head.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Zoro said, and before Luffy could question him further, he said, "Tell me about your "gift"."

"Oh!" Luffy said, forgetting about his worry; Zoro filed the tidbit away for future use. "Nami told me I'm classified in the paramecia "gifts"." Grabbing onto his cheek, he pulled on it, knowing he proved his point when Zoro let out a gasp; he let his skin snap back into place before saying, "I'm a rubber man!"

Zoro blinked, not believing what he just saw. "A rubber man?"

"Yu_p_." Luffy said, popping the _p_. "My body is made out of highly-stretchable rubber."

"Your whole _body_?" Zoro asked, finally shaking off his shock; hell, this isn't the strangest "gift" he's ever encountered.

Luffy nodded.

"Even, say, your organs?" Zoro asked, curious.

"I think so." Luffy said. "It's why I'm always so hungry! My stomach stretches every time I put food in it, so it never gets full."_ At least, that's what Ace and Sanji say._

_That's…different,_ Zoro thought before saying, "Is it just the elasticity or do you have other properties of rubber?"

Luffy thought the question over before popping up. "Apparently I'm immune to electricity." He blinked wide eyes at Zoro. "Does that count?"

Zoro smiled slightly. "It does. Rubber isn't a very good conductor, so you probably wouldn't feel the effects."

Luffy pursed his lips. "That's what Nami said once." Then something occurred to Luffy. "Wait a second!" Zoro looked at him questionably. "I told you about _my_ friends!"

"And?" Zoro wondered.

"Tell me about yours!" Luffy complained.

"My…friends?" Zoro questioned.

"Yeah!" Luffy said, bouncing onto his knees. "The other Demons that were with you."

"Oh," Zoro said, rolling his eye. "_Those_ friends."

"You don't like them?" Luffy asked.

"No, I like them just fine, but they can be a bit…much sometimes." Zoro said before glancing at the Angel. "Do you remember the ones that were there?"

"Uh…" Luffy said, stretching his memory back. "There was seven of you, like us." He pursed his lips. "Six Demon Warriors and a Healer!" Luffy looked proud at remembering that much.

Zoro couldn't help but crack a smile and nodded. "Yes, that's right. There were four women and three men, including me."

"Who are they?" Luffy asked expectantly.

"Well, the women Warriors are Robin, Bonney and Perona, and the Healer is Kaya." He leaned on his palm. "Robin has the long black hair and blue eyes, and always looks calm. She also has a "gift"." Luffy eyes widened and Zoro said, "She's a paramecia, like you. She can make copies of any of her body parts on other surfaces, bodies included."

"Whoa." Luffy said, eyes wide.

"Yeah." Zoro said, then continued. "Bonney and Perona are twin sisters, as well as Royals. They had the pink hair, though Perona's is longer than Bonney's. They both also have "gifts", paramecia types, I think."

"Really?" Luffy asked, eyes going even wider.

Zoro nodded. "Bonney is able to stop time for about thirty seconds, and only herself and anyone she's touching can move." Zoro didn't think Luffy could get more shocked, but he did. "And then Perona can produce these weird, white "ghost" things that she can use for different things, though she usually uses them to spy." Zoro grimaced at the thought.

Luffy's eyes grew sparkles; he's never been so excited.

Zoro didn't notice and went on. "And then there's Kaya, and like I said, she's our Healer. She had the long blonde hair and was the only one _not_ wearing a Warrior uniform." Luffy nodded in remembrance. "Then there's the three guys: me, Usopp and Brook." He ran a hand through his hair. "Brook is the _really_ tall guy with an afro," Luffy nodded, "and he also has a "gift", paramecia as well."

"You know so many people with "gifts"!" Luffy exclaimed, amazed.

Zoro shrugged. "I guess. But anyways, Brook can control people's souls with music. It's pretty cool to watch." Luffy nodded his agreement. "And finally there's Usopp. He was the one with black hair and a rather _long_ nose." Luffy knew who he was talking about. "He's also Destined with Kaya," Zoro contemplated on something before continuing. "He was also my first friend, so I guess he's my closest one."

Even though he heard this Usopp was already Destined, Luffy couldn't help the sting of jealously that ran through him at that, but shook it off; no use in dwelling on that for too much longer. Then something hit him: how utterly simple it was to talk with Zoro, like they've known each other for years, and didn't just meet today. Is this what it means to be Destined? Having such an easy, open relationship with someone, despite only knowing them for such a short time? Then he also noticed that the feeling in his chest has changed. It wasn't as compressive and oppressive as it was before; instead, it felt warm and comforting, like how he feels after drinking Sanji's hot chocolate on a cold day.

He really liked the feeling. And he really liked being with Zoro! He didn't even register that the other was a Demon anymore. It's like that doesn't matter. He wants to call the feeling love, but that seemed to…mundane to describe all of this. Sanji was right, having a Destined is so much more than love and emotions and feelings. He doesn't know how to describe it, and he really doesn't want to. He just wants to be.

And what he doesn't know is Zoro's thinking along the same lines as him, though with a slightly different tune. Zoro acknowledges the fact that being with Luffy makes everything better, but he can't shake off the fact that Luffy's an _Angel_ and he's a _Demon_. It doesn't bother him personally_—_he really could care less_—_but it's everyone else he's worried about. The Elders, his _father_, Luffy's father_—the fuckin' Angel King!—_and everyone else that, if Robin's correct, would hunt them down for having this special connection. He knows he can't stay away from the young Angel Prince, that's physically impossible, but he can, at least, try to slow down the "bonding period", as others have called it. Basically, he can be Luffy's friend, but anything physical is a big no-no. That's what cements the connection, makes it unbreakable: the consummation.

And Zoro's no virgin, but he's also heard that the minute one meets their Destined, they find they only want _that_ person, no one else, which is kind of a huge problem, since Demons are notorious for their sexual appetites. It seems Zoro will be celibate from now on, cause even the _thought_ of fucking someone other than Luffy makes him want to barf now. _Fan-fucking-tastic._

Both Angel and Demon were about to say something when they both picked up something with their Haki. Zoro's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but Luffy's eyes went wide with surprise. He recognized the two energies currently flying towards them and if they were to find Zoro here, with Luffy, who _knows_ what'll happen? He urgently looked at Zoro.

"You need to leave." Luffy said quickly. "Now."

"What?" Zoro asked, but Luffy was already shooing him towards the forest. "Luffy, who is it?"

"My older brothers." Luffy answered, and before Zoro could say anything else, he added, "I'll be here next week, same time, okay? I'll answer any questions you have then, but you need to _go_, now!"

Zoro thought about protesting, but thought better of it. Besides, he really has _no_ interest in meeting Luffy's family right now. Looking down at Luffy, he nodded. "I'll be here." Then, before he could stop himself, he leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to Luffy's cheek before turning, unfurling his wings, and taking off.

Luffy blinked, too stunned to move, as he placed a hand over his cheek, which is now burning and tingling pleasantly. A smile unfurled on his lips until it took up half his face as he tried not to giggle happily. Before he could think more on this, though, two figures were making their way towards Luffy, one at a faster speed.

"Luffy!" the faster one shouted, sounding distraught.

Luffy, though uncharacteristic, rolled his eyes in exasperation; Ace can be _so_ overprotective sometimes. Easily sidestepping his brother as he tried to tackle him, Luffy looked up at his other brother, who landed more sedately, shaking his head when Ace crashed into a tree.

"I told you not to do that, Ace!" Sabo shouted before looking at Luffy. "You okay, Lu?"

Outlook Sabo, though not biologically related, is Luffy's older brother in every other way that counts; him and Ace met the young, orphaned Sabo on one of their training excursions, and have been tight with him ever since. He's 6'1" and has nape-length, curly golden blond hair with parted fringe that frames his face, light tan skin, obsidian eyes, a burn scar near his left eye, and an athletically lithe body; sitting on top of his head, like always, is a large black top hat with a pair of blue goggles wrapped around the rim. His Angel Form has large, angelic wings that arc above his shoulders made of long, white feathers and he's dressed in a white dress shirt, cyan blue tie, black belt with an elaborate flower-design buckle, and white suit pants worn under a white, long-sleeved, hooded cloak, as well as white dress shoes, black leather gloves, and strapped to his back is a metal pipe.

Luffy raised a confused eyebrow. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

Apparently Ace had pulled himself out of the tree and was now sprinting over to the two. "You weren't in the palace or anywhere in Elysium! Sanji said you were around when I asked him, but I couldn't sense you anywhere!" He took a deep breath as he stared down at Luffy. "Someone finally told me they saw you leaving through the Transportation Center."

"So here we are." Sabo concluded before glaring at Ace. "He's perfectly fine! I don't know why you were in such a big huff."

"It's a big brother's job to worry about his bungling kid brother, Sabo." Ace said in an admonishing tone.

"I'm not a kid, Ace!" Luffy whined.

The overprotective older brother would be Portgas D. Ace, the other Crowned Prince of Elysium and Luffy's step-brother; he's the biological child of the previous Angel Queen_—_Portgas D. Rogue_—_but she died in childbirth, so Dragon took him in. He's also the biological son of the previous Demon King, Gol D. Roger, the result of another Angel-Demon Destined pair, so he's technically a half-breed, the only one of his kind. Everyone else looked at him like a freak, though they didn't dare say anything aloud, so he was a rather sullen youngster, always wondering why he's alive, but that all changed when Luffy was born. Ace, when he saw the pure love shining from Luffy's eyes the first time he held him, found his reason to live: to protect his younger brother. He slowly transformed then on, becoming more polite and friendly, until only the really mean people judged him based on his heritage; the only time he turned cold again would be when someone threatened Luffy because, according to him, anybody who hurts Luffy is sentenced to death in his eyes.

Ace is 6'1" and has nape-length, shaggy ebony black hair with parted fringe that frames his face, obsidian eyes, light tan skin, an athletically lithe build, freckles dotting his cheekbones, a black tattoo that spells "ACE" vertically along his left bicep, and a purple cross-shaped tattoo covering his back; sitting on top of his head is an orange cowboy hat with two blue smileys—one frowning and one smiling—a string of red beads sitting above the rim, and two long side straps hanging down the sides and meeting at a large medallion of a bull's skull with orange tassels, around his left wrist is a red/white-striped bracelet, and hanging around his neck is a red beaded necklace. His Angel Form consists of large, angelic wings that arc above his shoulders made of long, black feathers specked with gold and circling his head (under his hat) is a gold scrollwork circlet; he wears a white dress shirt, a black tie with a flame-pattern decorating the bottom, white suit pants, an eyelet-studded orange belt, and covering it all is a white, long-sleeved, hooded cloak decorated with elaborate gold designs, as well as white dress shoes.

"So what _are_ you doing down here, Luffy?" Sabo asked, looking around.

Luffy panicked for a second before telling the truth, kind of. "I needed a little breather."

"Are you okay?" Ace asked, instantly on his brother and patting him down for injuries.

"Stop!" Luffy shouted, pushing Ace back some. "I'm not hurt! Jeez, Ace."

Sabo, though, nodded in understanding. "There _have_ been a lot of creaturas lately."

"Do you need me to tell dad to give you less work?" Ace asked, eyes wide with worry.

"No!" Luffy shouted. That's the _last_ thing he wanted. "I'm fine dealing with those things." He shook his head. "I just wanted a little _time to myself_." He hoped his brother would get the hint.

"Huh?"

Maybe not.

Sabo smothered a chuckle. "He wanted to be somewhere where a _certain someone_ wasn't hovering over him 24/7."

"Who?" Ace asked, completely missing it all.

Sabo face-palmed. "Oh boy."

Luffy gave up. "It doesn't matter, Ace." He smiled widely at his brother, this time not at all forced. "I'm perfectly fine and I was actually about to head back home." His stomach growled. "I'm starving!"

The two older brothers laughed at their younger brother's typical behavior, while said younger brother was glad he got their minds off of questioning him. Trying to keep it that way, he put on the things he'd set on the ground before spreading his wings out and looked at the other two.

"Can we go now?" he asked, putting a whine into his tone.

"Yeah, yeah." Sabo said, ruffling his hair. "We know not to keep you from dinner."

"Meat!" Luffy exclaimed, suddenly pushing down on his wings to make him rise.

"Wait up, Lu!" the two brothers shouted, unfurling their wings and following after him.

* * *

The three Angels, as involved with themselves as they were, didn't notice that Zoro didn't actually _leave_ the forest, but cloaked himself in shadows so he could watch the conversation. He has concluded that Luffy's brothers are as crazy as he is. And even weirder was the ebony-haired one…he has _black_ wings. What's _that_ about? It makes no sense. Angels have white wings, he's never heard of one having black wings, though they _were_ specked with gold, and he was wearing a circlet, so he's definitely Royalty. And the name Luffy called him…

_Ace_.

Zoro shook his head. He'll ask Robin about it later, she'll definitely know what's going on and who that strange Angel is. Unfurling his wings once more and shaking off the shadows, Zoro headed back home, already anticipating next week when he can see Luffy again.

But he needs to remember to keep it platonic…at least until they get more information. That shouldn't be too hard, right? Zoro's mind wandered back to Luffy, his lithe figure, that beautiful raven black hair that looked so soft, how smooth his cheek felt underneath his lips…

_Yeah, this'll be a piece of cake,_ Zoro snorted to himself. Who's he trying to fool? _I'm so screwed._

* * *

**Well, I honestly don't know if that meeting was awkward or not...I was really just trying to lay down some ground work for their relationship, but the actually plot line will be picking up, I think, next chapter. It depends where I go with this. So it'll either be next chapter or the one after that, but it'll happen, I promise! Oh, and I know I kinda just threw Ace and Sabo in there, but I wanted to introduce them somehow, and this happened...oh well. Remember, reviews and favs make me happy! xxoo**


	5. Chapter 4

**Thank you for your reviews and favs and follows! Well, here's where the plot line really starts to pick up! It might be kinda random, but I'm looking at the previous chapters I did as prologues, of sorts; just a way to introduce the Angels and Demons, as well as the meeting of Luffy and Zoro. Now that it's out of the way, I can begin on where I want the story to go. I wanted to post yesterday, but I had a migraine, so I got what I could down before saving it cuz I know I wanted to add more. I'm trying to make my chapters fairly longish. Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _One Piece_ or any of _One Piece_'s characters mentioned in this fic.**

**Warning: This is AU. Basically, all that remains are their names, faces, and a few personality traits, but other than that, the characters in this story are completely OOC.**

* * *

For the next two months, Luffy and Zoro would meet each other, in secret, at that same clearing, like clockwork. Thanks to their friends running interference, no one was ever the wiser; there would be a few close calls every now and then, but nothing the Angels or Demons couldn't handle with some creative thinking.

As for Luffy and Zoro, they were learning new things about each other every time they'd talk. By the end of the first month, though, they were running out of new things to tell one another, so they started talking about their families_—_a topic they _were_ trying to stay clear of. Luffy told Zoro all about his older brothers_—_Zoro completely forgetting about the black wings one of them possessed_—_his grandfather, father, and, of course, Shanks_—_who was more of a father to him than his actual father was; Zoro returned the favor and told Luffy about his father (as little as he possibly could), his mother (who died at childbirth, much like Luffy's), and his half-sister, Makino (his mother's daughter).

Zoro was _still_ trying to keep things as platonic as possible, but it was _really_ hard to when Luffy was naturally a touchy-feely person. Every time they'd meet, Luffy would tackle him into a hug and Zoro had to fight off his body's responses that action caused; Luffy wasn't even aware of any of this happening and laughed every time at what he dubbed _"Zoro's weird looks"_. Zoro feels that he should be angry at the Angel, but, if anything, he only wants him more. He doesn't want to do anything, though, until Robin finds out more about the two of them being Destined, but his self-control is being shredded little by little every time.

It doesn't seem the two of them are going to have much of a choice on that matter anymore. Not with what happens next and the events that follow. It's time to finally find out why an Angel and Demon have been paired together this time…and the conclusion will rock both the Angels and the Demons to their very foundations.

* * *

**(2½ months after the first meeting)**

"Shishishishi!" Luffy laughed, laying flat on his back in the clearing, at another one of his meetings with Zoro. "Usopp really did that?"

Zoro angled his head to watch the Angel next to him, a small smile tilting his lips. "He did. It took a whole month for his hair to grow back."

Luffy held onto his stomach as he continued to laugh before peeking up at Zoro. "Usopp sounds like he's a bunch of fun!"

"He's…something, alright." Zoro muttered, leaning back on his palms. "You'd probably like him."

Luffy popped up then. "You mean I can meet him?!" They've never brought up the subject of introducing their friends before.

Zoro considered it before shrugging. "Maybe. I mean, they do already know about you."

Luffy pumped a fist in the air. "Alright!"

Zoro shook his head in amusement; it doesn't take much to make the Angel Prince happy. It's adorable, really. He was just about to open his mouth to say something else when they both picked up something with their Haki…two somethings, actually. The two pushed themselves onto their feet and stared in the direction they felt the energies coming from before Luffy sighed out in recognition.

"Should I leave?" Zoro asked as he readjusted his katanas.

Luffy shook his head. "No, it's alright." He squinted his eyes and tilted his head when he thought he heard something. "These two know about you."

"LUUUUUUFFFFFFYYYYYY!" a loud voice suddenly sounded, steadily getting closer.

The two in the clearing saw a flash of blond and white feathers before the person dive-bombed right into the ground a few feet in front of them, kicking up dirt and grass at impact. Luffy slapped a hand over his mouth to smother his laughter because Sanji could _not_ have made a funnier entrance while Zoro cocked his head to the side in bemusement.

"I _told_ you to slow down before trying to land!" another voice shouted before she landed to the right of the Sanji-made crater.

"Hi Viola!" Luffy piped up, waving at Sanji's Destined.

Viola looked over at her Crowned Prince with a smile. "Hello, Luffy."

Riku Viola is from the 4th Royal Line, making her a princess, and the only living daughter of the deceased Prince Riku Dold III, as well as Sanji's Destined. She's 5'10" and has wavy black hair that reaches her hips with a lock hanging on her left side, copper brown eyes, light tan skin, and a slender, curvaceous, well-endowed figure; tucked behind her right ear is a red rose and dangling from her ears are round, light blue earrings. Her Angel Form consists of large, angelic wings that arc above her shoulders made of long, white feathers specked with gold and circling her head is a gold circlet made of gentle scrolls coming together into a V-shaped front adorned with three evenly-spaced bloodstones; she's dressed in a white strapless silk gown where ruched chiffon meets in a twist at the center of the bodice and decorating the skirt is a tumbling overlay of structured ruffles underneath a white hooded cloak decorated with elaborate gold designs, as well as white pumps.

Luffy blinked, looking between the two Angels, before simply asking, "What's up?"

Viola glanced at the Demon standing behind Luffy for a few considering seconds, then back at Luffy. "There's a problem."

"A problem?" Luffy asked, head tilted.

Suddenly Sanji bursted out of the dirt pile and exclaimed, "Vivi-_swan_ has been kidnapped!"

**. . .**

"What?" Luffy said blankly.

Viola rolled her eyes at her Destined's dramatics, but said, "Yes, it's true. Someone has taken Vivi."

Luffy's hands clenched at that but he asked with confusion, "Why are you telling me this?"

"The Elders don't believe it." Sanji said, lighting up a cigarette.

"Why not?" Luffy asked, puzzled now. "Kidnapped is kidnapped, right? I mean, is she in Elysium or not?"

"Nobody's been able to find _or_ sense her." Sanji said, inhaling deeply. "Her father's worried sick."

Luffy cocked his head to the side. "Then why don't the Elders believe she's been kidnapped?"

"Because of _who_ took her." Viola answered.

"Someone saw who took her?" Luffy asked, trying to keep facts straight; that's a _good_ thing, right?

Sanji nodded. "Chopper did. He was coming out of the Medical Building when he saw Vivi smuggled out of her bedroom window, hands and feet bound, by the kidnapper."

"That's great!" Luffy said, looking between the two. "That means they can track down who took her!"

The two Angels just shook their heads dejectedly.

"What am I missing?" Luffy asked, officially stumped.

"Chopper claims a Demon kidnapped her." Sanji finally said, his eyes flickering behind Luffy briefly.

"A Demon?" Luffy asked, eyebrows raised. "Is he sure?"

"Said he saw the wings and tail." Sanji said, blowing out smoke.

"Then what's the problem?" Luffy questioned, not seeing why the Elders would dismiss that.

"Luffy," Viola said, taking a step towards him, "Demons can't get into Elysium. It's not possible."

"Then you think Chopper's lying?" Luffy asked, bewildered. _Chopper would never!_

"That's why we came down here." Sanji explained. "Your father isn't, no, _can't_ do anything to look for Vivi, so I thought we could."

"On our own?" Luffy asked, eyes wide. "I don't think my father, or the Elders, would like that."

"So?" Sanji spat. "This is Vivi we're talking about!"

Luffy bowed his head and clenched his fists. Sanji was right! Vivi's his friend, and approval or not, he's _not_ going to abandon her when she needs help the most.

"You're right!" Luffy exclaimed, raising his head. "I'm gonna help her! Even if I have to go by myself!"

"Oh, you won't be going alone." Sanji said, smirking at his Crowned Prince. "I'm in, and so is everyone else."

Luffy furrowed his brow. "You're going too, Viola?"

She nodded. "Vivi's my friend as well." Then she flicked her circlet. "Plus, she's one of us, Luffy."

Luffy nodded in understanding before looking behind him at Zoro, who'd been quiet, but listening, throughout the conversation. "Zoro?"

"Hmm?" he hummed out, looking up at Luffy.

"Do you know of any way for a Demon to get into Elysium?" Luffy asked.

Zoro thought for a second before shaking his head. "I don't…" at Luffy's dejected look, he continued, "…but if anyone _would_ know, it'd be Robin."

"Your really smart friend, right?" Luffy questioned.

"Yeah." Zoro said, rubbing his neck before looking over at the two other Angels. "Did your friend see anything other than the wings and tail?"

"Like what?" Sanji questioned, a little suspicious, in general, of this Demon.

Zoro rolled his eye, annoyed. "Hair color? Eye color? Tall? Short? Male? Female?"

"It was male." Viola answered, giving Sanji an odd look; she's never felt so much hostility come off of him before. "But that's all Chopper said before he was "dismissed"." Her tone made it clear of her opinion on _that_.

"More like kicked out." Sanji muttered around his cigarette.

"But it was definitely a Demon?" Zoro clarified.

"If that's what Chopper said, then I believe him." Luffy said, crossing his arms over his chest. "He'd have no reason to lie."

Zoro sighed out. "Well, looks like we'll be coming with you then."

"What?!" all three Angels exclaimed, looking at Zoro like he grew three heads.

"Really?" Luffy asked, eyes wide in hope.

"Who said we wanted _your_ help, moss head?" Sanji spat out, unable _not_ to.

Zoro growled low in his throat. "_What_ did you just—" He glanced at Luffy and cut himself off. "Not important right now." Giving a glare at the blond, he looked at Luffy again and said, "If a Demon _is_ behind this, then you'll need Demon help to get your friend back." The other two Angels still looked wary, so he added, "Do you even know _who_ took her and _where_ to look for her?"

That stumped the Angels.

"Well," Viola finally said, embarrassed, after a few moments of silence. "Guess we didn't think this plan through real well."

"No shit." Zoro said with a sigh.

"Hey!" Sanji barked out, eyes narrowed. "Watch how you talk to a lady, asshole."

"You wanna start something, curlybrow?" Zoro growled out, hand resting on his black katana.

"More than happy to, cyclops!" Sanji said, but before they could move, Viola stepped between them, her focus on Zoro.

"If Chopper told you what he saw, would you be able to tell which Demon it was that took her?" she asked, wanting to keep everyones focus on Vivi.

"Possibly." Zoro said, straightening up again. "I know all the big players in the Underworld," he motioned to his circlet, "being a prince and all."

"That's a good place to start." Viola said, a smile tilting her lips up. "Who will you be bringing with you?"

"My friends." Zoro said. "The people I usually work with when there's a creatura call."

"Those same Demons we saw before?" Sanji asked, lighting another cigarette.

Zoro glared at him but nodded anyway. "Yes." He adjusted his katanas. "If I don't recognize the Demon who took your friend, then Robin will most likely be able to. She knows everything about everyone in the Underworld." He smirked. "In Elysium, too."

"Really?" Viola asked, surprised.

"Robin really likes history. And reading." Zoro replied with a shrug.

"Great!" Luffy suddenly exclaimed; he had been listening patiently up 'till now, but he's ready for action. "Sanji, Viola," they looked over at him, "we'll go grab the others."

"Actually, Luffy," Sanji cut in, getting a questioning look from Luffy, "I think it'd be better if you waited here."

"Why?" Luffy whined out, slumping slightly.

"Your presence is easily detectable. People would know you returned and might not let you leave again." Sanji stated, puffing on his cigarette. "Even if they didn't take Chopper's statement seriously, they're watching the Royals closely now. Actually," he turned to Viola, "it'd be best if you stayed here as well, my sweet."

Viola looked frustrated but nodded all the same. "I'll keep Luffy company, I guess."

"Fine!" Luffy groaned out, flopping back to the ground.

"And I guess I'll be back in an hour or so." Zoro said, looking down at the pouting-Luffy.

Luffy peered up at Zoro with a smile. "So I can finally meet them?"

"I guess so." Zoro said, amused at how happy that made Luffy. "You'll wait here?"

"Yup!" Luffy said, flinging his arms in the air.

"Okay, I'll be back." Giving one last glare to the blond Angel, Zoro spread his wings and took off, heading back home.

"I'll be back soon." Sanji said, putting out his cigarette before looking at Luffy. "Luffy…"

Luffy looked back at him and nodded. "Yeah, I know."

Sanji nodded before taking his Destined's hand and kissing the back of it. "I shall return shortly, my love."

Viola smiled and reached up to peck him lightly on the lips. "Stay safe."

Sanji's eyes grew hearts as his wings unfurled. "I will! For love will keep me afloat!" And he was off.

"I wish I could do that." Luffy humphed out.

"What, fly?" Viola asked with amusement as she sunk down to sit next to Luffy. "I'm pretty sure that's what the wings are for." She tapped his lightly.

"No, not that." Luffy said, giggling some; his wings have always been sensitive. "What you and Sanji just did."

Viola furrowed her brow before opening her eyes wide in bemusement. "What, _kiss_?"

Luffy nodded.

"You mean you haven't?" she asked, surprised. "I'd assume, with your Destined being a Demon and all, you'd have…" she trailed off when Luffy shook his head. "Seriously?"

Luffy sat upright, slinging his arms around his legs before resting his chin on top of his knees. "I don't know. It's like Zoro's scared or something. He freaks out every time I hug him."

Viola hummed out in thought. "Well, not everybody's as touchy-feely as you are, Luffy."

"I guess." Luffy said, staring at the grass. "But I get the feeling it's something…else."

"You guys _did_ just meet." Viola pointed out. "And there's the whole Angel-and-Demon thing to consider. Just because you're adaptable, doesn't mean everyone else is."

"Adap-ta…what?" Luffy asked, looking at Viola.

Viola hid a giggle. "It means you go with the flow. Change doesn't effect you that much."

Luffy nodded in understanding, then pursed his lips in thought. _That's true. Maybe Zoro's still getting used to the fact that I'm an Angel! Yeah! That has to be it._ Luffy smiled wider, feeling a little better.

Viola barely managed to avoid being knocked over from one of Luffy's enthusiastic hugs. "What's this for?"

Luffy pulled away and smiled. "Shishishi! Thanks, Viola!"

Not even trying to dissect what is known as Luffy's mind, she patted his head. "Anytime, Lu. Why don't you tell me more about your Destined? We have time to kill."

And that's how the two Angels passed the next hour-and-a-half. Finally, the two Royals picked up two big groups heading their way, coming from different directions. Knowing it was the others, they vaulted into standing positions and waited for them to arrive and land. Zoro and his group got there first, the Demons looking around with interest, before the rest of the Angels joined them; Viola joined her Destined while Luffy stayed in place, until Zoro left his group and walked over to Luffy. Both groups froze in place (minus Luffy, Viola, Zoro, Robin and Sanji) when they saw each other, though. Confusion was the main emotion present on everyone's faces, that and wariness.

"I thought you were kidding." Nami finally said, eyeing the Demons across the way, though talking to Sanji.

"Me too." Nojiko said from next to her sister, brushing some of her hair back.

"Hot damn." Franky said, raising his sunglasses to rest over his forehead to look over the Demons before glancing at Sanji. "Are you _supah_ sure we can trust them?"

"Hey, this is all Luffy and that moss head's idea." Sanji said with his hands raised. "I just came to get you guys."

Zoro growled lowly and glared at Sanji, who returned his glare equally. Yeah, these two will probably never get along.

"Guys!" Luffy said, facing his friends with a wide smile in place. "It'll be fine! I trust Zoro and Zoro trusts his friends, so everything's okay."

The Angels sighed out, but knew Luffy had a point; no matter how innocent and naïve Luffy acts, and how trusting he can be, the one thing he's good at is reading people. If Luffy didn't feel comfortable with this arrangement, they wouldn't be here right now. Simple as that.

"You never said Angels would be here, Zoro!" Usopp exclaimed, looking at them dubiously. "What if they attack us?"

"They won't." Zoro answered simply.

"And you're so sure about this fact?" Perona snapped out, her tail swishing back and forth.

Zoro rolled his eye but nodded.

"I don't like this, Zoro!" Usopp whined out, looking close to tears.

"Kaya?" Zoro said, rubbing a hand over his face exasperatedly; she's probably the most levelheaded of them all, minus Robin.

Kaya nodded and grabbed Usopp's hand. "Calm down, Usopp. Do you really think Zoro would purposefully put us in danger?"

"Well, no…" Usopp said slowly, starting to calm down some.

"Then why are you so worried?" she asked, though was talking to the other Demons as well.

She might not have all the details, but if there's one thing Kaya's sure of, it's that Zoro is distrustful by nature, so if he didn't like the situation, he wouldn't of brought them here. When it seemed what she said sunk in to the other Demons (minus Robin), she smiled.

"I guess you have a point." Bonney said, looking at the Angels again.

"Miss Kaya is always so reasonable." Brook said, leaning on his shikomizue.

Luffy decided to bounce up beside Zoro at that moment. "Yeah, we don't wanna hurt you guys." He laughed as the Demons looked at him in surprise. "You're Zoro's friends, so that makes you my friends as well! I'd never hurt someone I consider a friend." That part was said seriously. "Plus, we kinda need your help."

Robin, who had been calmly watching the proceedings, chose to speak up. "Yes, what _is_ this all about, Zoro? You were rather…vague when you rounded us up and said to follow you."

Zoro looked down at Luffy, who, in turn, looked at Viola. Viola rolled her eyes but repeated everything she told Luffy and Zoro earlier, adding in a few things so the Angels are up to speed as well. It was silent for several seconds while everyone digested what they were told.

"So, a Demon kidnapped one of your Royals? _From_ Elysium?" Bonney asked, slightly shocked. "Is that even _possible_?"

"That's what I wanted to ask Robin." Zoro said, looking over at said-female Demon. "So, is it?"

Robin tapped a slender finger against her chin in thought, mentally going through every book she's ever read; easy for her, seeing as she has an eidetic memory. Her eyes narrowed in concentration for a second as she recalled something she read awhile ago. It wasn't even a book, just a single passage; she thought it was a misprint, or maybe a joke, but with this coming to light, it's now making her rethink her initial assessment.

"It _might_ be." Robin finally said, looking up at everyones shocked faces. "I found a slip of paper a long time ago in the libraries that looked like it was torn out of a book by accident. On it said something about a…" she tilted her head, trying to recall it. "…a way to _"transverse all the planes"_. I didn't understand it at the time, but with this happening, it's making me wonder."

"Who actually _saw_ the Demon?" Usopp asked, a little braver as he looked at the group of Angels.

"Wait, wait, wait." Nami said loudly, holding her arms out as she stepped forward. "Before we say _anything_ else, I'd like to know who is who." She looked at the Demons and smiled sweetly before saying, "Names, please." But the way she said it made you think very carefully about refusing her.

"Nico Robin." Robin said immediately with a small smile; she liked this spunky Angel. "Pleasure."

After a minute pause, another Demon spoke up. "Tirador Usopp." He said before bowing slightly. "Nice to meet you."

"Jarabe Kaya." Kaya said with a soft voice and smile. "Hello." She squeezed the hand that was holding Usopp's; no one could mistake that they're Destined.

"Yohoho." Brook laughed out before bowing at the waist. "Laboon Brook. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." He then looked at the female Angels. "May I see your panties?"

There was a silent pause before a loud _BONK_ was heard followed by Nami slowly putting the pieces of her Clima-Tact back in the band around her thigh. It happened so fast no one could say anything, so they moved on like nothing happened.

"Jewelry Bonney." Bonney said slowly before a smile crossed her face. "And may I say _thank you_ for doing that."

Nami shrugged, but smiled anyway.

"I'm Jewelry Perona, her," she pointed at Bonney, "twin sister."

"And we know who you," Nami pointed at Zoro, "are. So now that we have your names…" She blew out a breath. "Mandarina Nami. A pleasure."

"Cuire Sanji." Sanji said, already puffing on another cigarette, before twirling around with hearts in his eyes. "I'm here for all you delicate mellorines! My life is insignificant compared to yours!"

The female Demons didn't know what to say to that…proclamation.

"Ignore him." Nami said, not even phased by Sanji's normal behavior. "He's always like that."

"One of the things I love most about him." Viola said with a smile before looking at the Demons. "Riku Viola. I'm his," she gestured to Sanji, "Destined."

"That must be…" Usopp trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"Yes, it's that exactly." Viola said with a small smile.

"It's _supah_ nice to meet you!" Franky shouted, slamming his forearms together in his usual pose. "I'm Cutty Franky."

"Thank you for that, Franky." Nojiko said, slightly sarcastic, as she patted one of his oversized forearms. "I'm Mandarina Nojiko, Nami's older sister."

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy!" Luffy exclaimed with a wide smile. "Hi!"

"Oh trust me," Robin said with a sly smile, "we know _exactly_ who you are."

Luffy didn't know what to say to that, so he turned back to the Angels before furrowing his brows when he couldn't find his last friend. "Where's Chopper?"

"Here." Franky said, reaching behind him to unlatch Chopper from his back. "He's a little…upset over this whole thing."

"I know what I saw!" Chopper shouted, causing everyone to jump at the sudden noise. "I didn't make anything up!"

"We know that, Chopper." Sanji soothed. "That's why we're all here."

"Even them?" Chopper said, meek again, as he pointed at the Demons.

"Even them." This time Luffy answered before walking over and placing both hands on Chopper's shoulders, peering right into his eyes. "Chopper, I want you to forget what the Elders told you, 'kay?"

Chopper's eyes widened, but he stayed silent, waiting to see what Luffy would say next.

"Forget about it because _I_ believe you." Luffy said, his smile wide but nonetheless sincere. "I know you, Chopper, and I know you'd never lie about this, especially since Vivi is one of our close friends."

The Demons were impressed with how Luffy's handling this, while the Angels were flabbergasted. Who is this and where did their Luffy go?

Chopper's focus was only on Luffy as his eyes teared up some. "Really, Luffy?"

Luffy shook Chopper some. "Of course." He stepped back before motioning both Zoro and Robin to come closer. "Now, tell these two what you remember about the Demon who took Vivi." When Chopper still seemed hesitant, he added, "They might be able to identify him, and that'll get us one step closer to finding her."

Chopper rubbed his arms over his eyes before nodding and facing the two Demons; Zoro waited patiently while Robin smiled serenely. "W-well, I didn't see his face or anything, but I could tell the Demon _was_ a he and what his hair color is."

"That's a start." Robin said encouragingly.

"Um, the hair was black and kinda slicked back, but it also had this purple tint when one of the lights hit it." He breathed out, building up his nerve. "He was _really_ tall, but not as tall as he," he pointed at Brook, "is, but definitely taller than Franky. He was big and muscular-looking and…" he trailed off, trying to recall everything.

He really didn't need to go on because Zoro and Robin were already pretty sure of who it is the little Angel saw, but more information won't hurt anyone.

Then Chopper remembered. "He had this big silver hook replacing one of his hands!"

"Which one?" Zoro asked, already exchanging a look with Robin.

Chopper pursed his lips in thought before saying, "I think…left? Yeah, left!"

"Oh shit." The other Demons put who it was together as well since there aren't that many Demons with giant silver hooks running around.

"You know who took Vivi?" Luffy asked, looking up at Zoro with wide eyes.

Zoro ran a hand through his hair before nodding. "Yeah, we do."

"Well, who the hell is it?" Nami snapped out.

"His name is Baroque Crocodile." Robin answered calmly. "He's a high-level Demon Warrior."

"Why would a Demon Warrior want to kidnap an Angel Royalty?" Nojiko asked, perplexed; it was the question everyone was thinking.

"I do not know." Robin said, her face showing how troubled she is from this before it turned contemplative. "But, now that I think about it, I do recall some people mentioning earlier that no one has been able to locate Crocodile since this morning, which is…unusual for him." Robin rested her chin on her hand. "Even some of his associates have gone missing." Slight pause. "The evidence certainly _supports_ Crocodile being the kidnapper."

"Great! Now that we know who has her, we can go kick his ass!" Luffy shouted, completely missing the tension in the air since he's already pumped up.

"It isn't that simple." Viola said, getting Luffy's attention. "We still have no idea _where_ he would be keeping her."

"Well, he wouldn't keep her in the Underworld." Perona said, crossing her arms. "An Angel, especially Royalty, would be sensed from miles around."

"Then he must be keeping her here, in the Human World." Robin said, head tilted somewhat; when she got shocked looks, she added, "It isn't a secret that some Angels _and_ Demons like living in the Human World, and some have owned land for centuries. There are even some towns here that are made up of Angels or of Demons."

"And this Crocodile has land?" Nami asked, looking at the black-haired Demon.

A nod. "Crocodile owns a large parcel of land, a town now, if I'm not mistaken, so if he were keeping an Angel hostage, it'd most likely be there." Robin answered, completely missing the stunned looks the Angels were giving her.

"How do you _know_ that?" Nami finally asked.

"It's better not to ask." Zoro answered, rolling his eye. "Just learn to live with it."

Robin smirked slightly.

"Well, at least that's a starting point." Viola said before looking at Robin. "Do you know what this town's called?"

"Of course." Robin said.

"Well?" Nami asked.

"Oh, the town's name is Rainbase." Robin answered before pulling out a map from…somewhere. "Here's the map."

Nami blinked before dismissing the question she wanted to ask and grabbed the map. "Thank you." She opened the map, nodding at the quality, before looking it over. "Well, according to the map, Rainbase is," her eyes widened some, "well, let's just say it'll be a long trip."

"But we can get there?" Luffy asked, impatient.

"Yes, I can get us there." Nami said with absolute certainty.

"Awesome!" Luffy shouted.

"Wait, who said we were following _you_?" Zoro asked.

Nami turned and gave the Demon a glare. "Do any of _you_ know how to read a map like this?" No one spoke, not even Robin. "I thought not. Just follow me, and we'll be there in no time."

"I'd follow you anywhere, Nami-_swan!_" Sanji trilled out as he noodle-danced over to her.

"Hopefully it's off a cliff." Zoro muttered, crossing his arms.

Sanji stopped immediately and spun to face the Demon, fire overtaking the hearts in his eyes. "What was that, you shitty Demon?!"

"Wait, something just occurred to me." Viola said, interrupting yet another screaming match between those two.

"What?" Nojiko asked, eying the death aura surrounding Sanji and Zoro warily as they continued to yell and glare at each other.

"Well, when Luffy, nor I, return back home, won't that alarm some people?" she asked loudly, talking over the two as she looked around.

"Right." Bonney said a second later, glancing at Perona and Zoro. "That'll probably happen with us as well."

"You think?" Zoro asked, coming out of death mode before leaning an arm on his katanas; Sanji growled, but stood down as well.

"I know us being gone for a few days isn't unusual, but this'll probably take longer than that." Bonney said, running a hand through her hair. "They'll send someone to look for us, I'm sure of it."

"That's right." Nami said, smacking her forehead. "Why didn't I think of that sooner?"

"Good thing your big sis did!" Nojiko sung out before taking something out of her cloak's pocket…several something, actually.

"What are those?" Franky asked, peering down.

They looked like necklaces: chunks of different colored gems on the end of a black cord.

"When Sanji left to go find Luffy, I reached out to a…friend," Nojiko coughed some but continued on. "I knew what we were gonna need to do, so I asked her for these special charms." She laughed some then. "Looking back, I thought she gave me too many, but it seems she knew we'd need the extras."

"Just who is this "friend" of yours, Nojiko?" Nami asked, eyebrow raised.

"You don't need to know." Nojiko answered briskly.

"What do they do?" Luffy asked, eyes wide as he watched the sun sparkle off the jewels.

"You know how when we're in our Human Forms, we still radiate an…aura that identifies us as Angel or Demon?" Everyone nodded so she held up the charms. "These babies will hide that aura, so we'd register as a regular human to anyone who's looking."

Eyes widened at that, even Robin seemed surprised.

"That's possible?" Robin asked, glancing at the gems.

"It's my friend's "gift". Comes in handy if your trying to hide from someone." Nojiko said with a smirk, but then added seriously, "But this will only work while we're in our Human Forms. If we switch back, our energies will be detectable again until we go back into Human Form."

Everyone nodded in understanding.

Nojiko remembered that her friend said the charm will pick the wearer, so she told everyone to line up; there were grumbles and complaints but they moved. She looked up and saw Luffy was first, so she held her hand over the pile, dropped it and picked up one; seems to be a ruby. She walked over to Luffy and dropped the necklace over his neck. He seemed entranced by the gem, so she moved to the green-haired Demon, _Zoro_, and repeated the process and came back with an emerald; he nodded in thanks as she handed it to him.

Next was the black-haired Demon; Nojiko did the same things and came up with an amethyst. After nodding her thanks, Nojiko moved to the next one: her sister (who's still giving her the stink-eye). Doing the same thing, she pulled up a citrine and then handed it to Nami, who dropped it over her head. Next was Chopper, who ended up getting a kunzite; then was Franky, who received a topaz. After was Sanji, who got a sapphire, and Viola, who got a bloodstone; then came the blonde Demon, who received a diamond and after was the long-nosed one, who got a sphene. The afro-ed Demon got an agate, and finally the twins got theirs: onyx for Perona and opal for Bonney.

Once assured everyone got one, Nojiko viewed the one remaining in her palm: an iolite. With a shrug, she pulled it over her head, letting the gem settle in the middle of her collarbone.

"What now?" Nami asked as they dispersed from the line.

"I told you, it only works in our Human Forms." Nojiko said, rolling her eyes.

"We need to get going." Viola said, arms crossed. "We can't keep Vivi waiting too long."

"Yeah!" Luffy shouted, punching the air. "I'm gonna kick that Demon's ass for taking her!"

"Easy there, Luffy." Sanji said, grabbing his arm and lowering it back down (completely ignoring the growl coming from a certain green-haired Demon). "Why don't we fly as far as we can right now. Then, when morning comes, we'll switch to Human Form."

"Why morning?" Usopp asked, though still stayed a good distance from the Angels.

"The warning bells won't be sounded until both Luffy and Viola have been gone the whole night." Sanji explained.

"It might not be as bad if it was just Viola," Nojiko said, sending an apologetic look to Viola, who waved it off. "But knowing _Luffy_, one of the Crowned Princes, is gone will send some people into a panic."

"And by people, we mean a certain older brother." Franky said with a snort.

"Ah!" Luffy exclaimed suddenly, wide-eyed. "I didn't even _think_ of Ace! Oh man, he's gonna kill me!"

"Let's just worry about finding your friend right now, Luffy." Zoro soothed.

"You're right." Luffy said, calming down some (to the amazement of his friends). "I'll worry about Ace when I know Vivi is safe!"

Zoro pushed down on Luffy's straw hat some so it covered his eyes while Luffy swatted at Zoro's hand while giggling; it caught the attention of a few Angels and Demons. This…"trip" will definitely be interesting, what with the group containing Angels and Demons, not to mention an Angel-Demon Destined pair.

"Let's go!" Luffy shouted, spreading his wings before pushing down and taking to the sky.

"Wait up!" was the collective response as white and black wings unfurled before pushing down so they could catch up with the Angel Prince—who's currently laughing like a loon.

* * *

"_Man_, I'm tired!" Nojiko said as she stretched, watching as everyone else landed around her.

They made it a good distance from where they were last, though they chose to land in another forest for concealment reasons, so they found yet another clearing to set up camp in.

"Well, we've never flown for eight hours straight." Nami said, though was stretching her back out as well. "Anyone know the time?"

"3:41 in the morning, Nami-_swan_." Sanji called out as he gave Viola a shoulder massage.

"Is he okay?" Usopp asked as he pointed at Luffy, who was currently lying on the floor, moaning like he was dying.

Sanji rolled his eyes. "Yeah, he's fine."

"I'm _sooooo_ hungry!" Luffy moaned out, holding onto his stomach. "I haven't eaten in forever!"

Robin hid a giggle as she looked at Zoro. "Your Destined is such an interesting character."

Zoro rolled an eye, but a fond smile could be seen on his lips. "One of the first things I learned about him was that when it comes to food, he's a black hole."

"Sanji!" Luffy moaned out; Zoro didn't particularly like that. "_Food_."

Sanji sighed out in exasperation before dropping his hands from Viola and facing the raven-haired Angel. "What do you expect me to do, Luffy?"

"Food!" Luffy called out again.

Sanji rubbed a hand through his hair. "Fine! I'll go see if I can find some game in this forest." He looked over at Franky. "You want to come?"

"I'm _supah_ on it!" Franky said before doing his usual pose.

"Yay!" Luffy shouted, sitting up again. "Thanks, Sanji!"

Sanji rolled his eyes but mussed Luffy's hair as he passed by him. "We'll be back soon. Why don't you go find some wood so we can make a fire?"

"I'm on it!" Luffy called out before looking around; his eyes landed on Usopp. "You!"

"Me?" Usopp asked, pointing at himself.

"Yeah! You'll help me!" Luffy exclaimed before grabbing Usopp by his wrist and dragging him into the forest.

No one said anything for a few moments.

"He's so happy." Nami said with a smile.

"Yeah. You know how Luffy likes meeting new people." Sanji commented before beckoning Franky. "Let's go." The two Angels left.

Kaya was staring in the direction her Destined had disappeared in before looking over at the Angels. She pursed her lips in thought as she scanned them. _I wonder which one is their Healer?_

"Something wrong?" Zoro asked, noticing Kaya's thoughtful face.

"Hmm?" Kaya hummed before looking over at Zoro. "Oh, nothing's wrong. I was just wondering which one is their Healer."

"That'd be him." Zoro said, pointing at Chopper.

"Really?" Kaya asked, glancing up at Zoro before over at Chopper. "How do you know?"

"Luffy told me." Zoro said simply.

Kaya nodded in thanks before carefully making over to the Angel Healer. He glanced up warily as she sat down next to him, but made no move to leave. They sat in companionable silence as they watched their friends scurry around the large clearing and set up everything they'll need for the night.

"So, you're a Healer?" Kaya finally asked, looking over at the Angel.

Chopper nodded meekly before asking quietly, "Are you?"

Kaya smiled, which helped put Chopper at ease. "I am. One of the last ones, actually."

"Really?" he asked, turning to look at her with wide eyes.

"My parents died a few years ago, and they were both Healers." Kaya said, folding her hands in her lap. "Now that they're gone, there aren't much of us left. I had to step up and fill in earlier than expected because of that fact."

"I'm sorry about your parents." Chopper said with a small smile. "My dad died when I was young, so I know how that feels."

"Your mother is a Healer as well?" she asked, curious.

"Yes." Chopper answered, proud. "She's one of the best! Whenever any Royalty get hurt, its her they call!"

"And now your the personal Healer of the Angel Prince." Kaya said with a smile. "That's impressive."

"Compliments don't make me happy or anything." Chopper said, doing his little dance, though still seated.

Kaya giggled; he's so adorable! She has a feeling her and Chopper will become great friends.

"We're back!" Luffy yelled as he and Usopp tumbled into the clearing, arms full of sticks and logs.

"Not so loud, Luffy." Nami scolded as the two dropped their cargo.

"Sorry." Luffy said, though didn't look apologetic at all. "Is Sanji back yet?"

"Not yet." Nojiko answered. "It'll take longer than that to hunt anything worth eating."

"Ugh…" Luffy groaned out as he fell onto the floor again. "I'm _hungry!_"

"We know!" Nami snapped out before bonking him on the head. "We don't need you to remind us every ten minutes!"

"I take it he's always like this?" Bonney asked, hiding a chuckle at the scene.

"Freakin' garbage disposal." Nami muttered out as she sat down on a rock, reading over the map in her hands.

"What is our route looking like?" Robin asked as she moved to stand next to the orange-haired Angel.

Nami started some at the sudden presence, but looked up at her anyway. "Well, from here," she pointed to where they are on the map, "it looks like we'll run into a few towns before we can reach Rainbase."

Robin nodded as she studied the map.

"You said this Crocodile is a high-level Warrior, right?" Nami asked, glancing over at Robin. "And that his associates were missing as well?"

"I did." Robin answered before tilting her head curiously. "Why do you ask?"

"Are those associates people who work under him, or for him or something?" Nami questioned, looking over at Luffy briefly before back at Robin. "Like a group?"

Robin thought before nodding. "Yes. I don't know everyone who does, but I do know that he has the most of any high-ranking Warrior working under him."

"So you'll be able to tell if we run into any?" Nami asked.

"Yes, I will." Robin said before tapping her head. "I have an eidetic memory, so I remember everything I've ever read." She smirked slightly. "I made it a point to read over certain files containing information about Demon Warriors."

"Excellent." Nami said with a nod before frowning some. "I just have a feeling this won't be as easy as it looks to be."

"Nothing worthwhile ever is." Robin answered sagely.

"Everything okay, Nami?" Luffy suddenly asked, looking over at her.

Nami rolled up the map before glancing over at Luffy. "I'm fine, Luffy. Just worried about Vivi, is all. I hope she's safe."

"I wouldn't expect the worse," Robin said, looking between the two. "But don't expect the best, either." She sat down on a rock next to Nami. "Crocodile took your princess for a reason, and I don't think it was to kill her. He could've done that in Elysium and not risk being caught smuggling her out." She propped her elbow on her knee before resting her chin in her palm, thoughtful. "No, there's a plan here, a bigger picture, and it hinges on keeping the princess alive."

"Vivi'll be fine." Luffy spoke up, causing everyone in the clearing to look at him, his face determined. "She's a strong Angel. We just need to believe in her."

No one said anything for about two minutes.

"You're right!" Chopper suddenly exclaimed.

"Yeah, Vivi has to know we'd come to get her." Nojiko added, plopping down next to her sister. "She just needs to stay alive long enough for us to rescue her!"

The Angels, who'd been feeling melancholy the whole time, each started perking up some. Luffy's always been able to do that—make people see the light in the darkest of places. It's his special trait.

"We're _supah_ back!" Franky called out as him and Sanji re-entered the clearing, carrying one large bear each.

"This is all we could find." Sanji said as he dropped the bear. "Hope you like bear."

"Meat?" Luffy asked, whipping around to look at Sanji.

"Yes, Luffy." Sanji said, shaking his head. "Meat."

"Woohoo!" Luffy exclaimed.

Zoro, who'd been getting the wood in place, looked over at Luffy, smiling slightly. Food is really important to the Angel; Zoro found that out at his first meeting with Luffy. Looking down at the pile of timber, he snapped his fingers and a flame appeared, hovering over his pointer finger. He reached down and watched as the flames spread across the wood.

"Whoa!" Luffy said, suddenly next to Zoro. "How'd you do that?"

Zoro, not at all startled by the sudden appearance of Luffy, glanced up at him. "You Angels can control air…us Demons have fire."

"So _that's_ why Ace can use fire." Luffy thought aloud, and you can literally hear the record screech as everyone whipped their heads to look at Luffy.

"Shut up!" Sanji hissed out as he dove over to Luffy and slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Too late." Nami groaned out as she buried her face in her hands.

"Ah, shit." Franky said, rubbing a hand through his hair.

Zoro blinked in thought. He knew Ace was Luffy's older brother, but that name…what's familiar about it? He got a flash of black Angel wings and his eye widened. How the hell did he forget that?!

"Ace, as in your older brother?" Zoro questioned, looking at Luffy.

Luffy nodded, since Sanji's hand is still covering his mouth.

"He's the Angel with black wings, right?" he asked and when Luffy looked at him in question, he added, "Remember our first meeting, when your brothers came to get you?" Luffy nodded. "I saw his wings then."

The other Demons were stunned; an Angel with _black_ wings?!

Robin's fast-working mind put the clues together. _Black Angel wings, controls both air and fire…_ "This is Portgas D. Ace we're talking about, correct? The other Crowned Prince?" Luffy nodded again since Sanji refuses to budge his hand.

"He's Luffy's older step-brother." Zoro told Robin, who nodded as another puzzle piece slid into place. "His dad adopted him when he was young."

"Portgas D." Robin mused, looking at the Angels. "That was the surname of your previous Queen, correct?"

"That's right." Nami said slowly, not liking the look on the female Demon's face.

_So black wings, controls air and fire, a prince, and son of the previous Queen… _Robin thought, before trying to recall something else; she's so close to the answer, she can feel it on the tip of her tongue.

Luffy was starting to get impatient. Why were his friends freaking out so much? Ace wouldn't care if this got out, right? Zoro and his friends are trustworthy. Having made his decision, he opened his mouth, stuck out his tongue, and proceeded to lick one stripe on Sanji's palm.

He immediately drew back with disgust. "Luffy!"

Luffy ignored Sanji as he looked over at Robin. "Ace is a half-breed."

Robin's eyes widened in shock. "A half-breed?" The other Demons went wide-eyed as well.

"Yeah, Ace's dad was a Demon." Luffy said, even as his friends tried shushing him.

"A _Demon_?" Perona asked loudly.

"Who was his father, Luffy?" Robin asked, though she has a pretty good idea.

"Your previous King." Nami answered, deflated. What does it matter if they know? Luffy already let the cat out of the bag.

The Demons were silent for several minutes as they tried to digest the new information.

"Gol D. Roger." Zoro finally said, looking at the Angels. "_That's_ Ace's dad?"

"Yup." Luffy said with a head nod.

"How?" Bonney asked, completely lost.

"They were Destined." Robin answered, the puzzle in her head finally completed.

"You mean they were one of the couples you were telling me about?" Zoro asked, looking over at her.

Robin nodded.

"You mean you didn't know?" Nami asked, confused.

"No." Robin said, her tail flickering with her annoyance. "Any mention of a Demon-Angel pair has been erased from our libraries."

Nami's eyes widened. "Yours too?"

That surprised Robin. "What do you mean?"

Everyone had since settled down into seated positions—with the exception of Sanji, who was preparing the large bears him and Franky caught.

"Just like you said." Nami said, leaning her elbows on her knees. "There's no mention of Angel-Demon Destined pairs in our libraries."

"The only reason we know about Roger and Rogue is because of Ace." Nojiko added, leaning back on her palms.

"That's weird." Perona said, shaking her head. "For both Demons _and_ Angels to have gotten rid of any mention of that particular pairing…"

"Yeah, and we _were_ supposed to keep that a secret." Nami said, glaring at Luffy.

Luffy blinked back at Nami, eyes wide and innocent. "What?"

"Your dad said to never tell Ace's secret to _anyone_, remember?" she said.

"Yeah, but Zoro's not just _anyone_." Luffy answered, which caused a light blush to rise on Zoro's cheeks. "He's my Destined."

"And the others?" Nami asked, no longer upset; it's not worth the migraine to stay mad at Luffy.

"I told you before," Luffy said, his tone admonishing. "I trust Zoro and Zoro trusts his friends, so I trust them."

Everyone blinked.

"That made…a surprising amount of sense." Viola commented as the others nodded.

"He does that sometimes." Sanji said as he roasted the bear over the fire.

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed before glancing over at the blond. "Food?"

"Almost, Luffy." Sanji said as he continued to cook.

The rest of the night found the Angels and Demons sharing a meal of roasted bear—the Demons flabbergasted at how much food Luffy could put away—before deciding to get some sleep; it was agreed upon that they'd go ahead and change into their Human Forms now, just in case. The Angels each glowed in a goldish hue before it blinked away, their wings (and in Luffy and Viola's cases, their circlets) gone; Luffy, Sanji, Franky, and Chopper are still in the same outfits they're always in, while the girls are in something different. Nami's wearing a white halter top decorated by orange flowers and a frilly neckline, denim skinny jeans, her black Belly-buckle belt (Clima-Tact sheathed), light tan heeled sandals, and a pink flower pendant; Nojiko's in a black zip-up tank top, denim bermudas, a black belt (Nigri Frameam sheathed), and purple heeled sandals; and Viola's dressed in a violet thick-strapped camisole, white jeans, and rose pink pumps.

The Demons changed as well, their forms being enveloped in a dark light before dispersing, leaving them without their wings, tails, claws and fangs (and in Zoro, Bonney and Perona's cases, without their circlets). Zoro's wearing a below-the-knee, partially open, forest green samurai's coat, closed at his hips downward by clasps, a dark red sash tied around his hips, over the coat, black trousers tucked into black shin-high boots, and a green haramaki is visible under the coat; his katanas, though, remained in a bundle over his right hip. Usopp's dressed in yellow waist-high poofy pants that reach his shins with white fluff lining the top and red suspenders, tan shin-high boots, a blue/white-striped armband on his left forearm, a white suncap, and looped across his torso is a red satchel.

Robin's in a burgundy red flowy camisole with pearl-like straps, dark brown capris, and dark purple pumps. Brook's dressed in a black dress coat over top of an off-white dress shirt with a high collar and flared cuffs, a blue cravat, orange-red trousers with a white floral design, black low-heeled buckled boots with curved-up toes, an orange feather boa, a white top hat with a giant golden crown on the brim, and yellow pink-tinted, heart-shaped sunglasses.

Kaya's wearing a light yellow short-sleeved blouse, dark brown jeans, and flat-footed brown boots. Bonney's dressed in a sky blue low-cut, midriff-baring tank top, camo-green short-shorts with a cuffed hemline, a white chain belt, thigh-high black socks, brown knee-high, hiking boots, and a black sunhat. Perona's wearing a white scoop-neck, stomach-baring top with red ruffles lining the cuffs of the long sleeves, a red miniskirt with a scalloped hemline, a red heart-buckled belt, black/white-striped tights, and red high-heeled, shin-high boots decorated with buckles.

Once they were in Human Form, the Angels and Demons spread around the clearing, though staying close to the fire, before falling asleep; Viola and Sanji were cuddled together, as were Usopp and Kaya. After turning into a reindeer (much to the shock of the other Demons), Chopper laid on his side and allowed Nami and Nojiko to use him as a pillow with Franky sound asleep next to them. The Twins were sleeping close together while Robin fell asleep with Brook a few feet away from her. Only Luffy and Zoro were left awake, each wanting to go to the other, but not sure of the reception.

After contemplating it for a few minutes, Luffy listened to his instincts (like always) and finally sat up before scooting over towards Zoro. Before Zoro could even speak, Luffy draped himself over Zoro like a blanket; humming happily as an arm cautiously wrapped around him, Luffy nuzzled his cheek against Zoro's chest and promptly starts snoring. Zoro blinks in surprise at this before giving an eye roll; he learned that Luffy does what he wants, when he wants, so there's no point in questioning this. He runs his fingers through the younger Angel's black hair, smoothing the tousled locks, causing Luffy to breathe in deeply before going raspy as he starts snoring faintly again. With his fingers still tangled in Luffy's hair, Zoro feels himself start to relax, and before he knows it, he's asleep.

* * *

**Well, I honestly don't know what to say to that other than I hope y'all liked it! Reviews and favs are always welcomed! (^_^)**


	6. Chapter 5

**I am so, so, so, so, so, _so_ sorry for not posting until now! I've had a lot on my plate and couldn't find the time to write until a few days ago. I will not abandon this story, don't worry! But my posting might get a bit sporadic 'cuz school is starting up again in a few weeks, so I've got that to focus on. I will try, try, _try_ to update weekly, but things might happen that prevents me from doing so. BTW, this first "arc" of the story is being written with another story in mind, cuz I really like how the author wrote it. The story, a ZoLu one, is called Eternal War by Hot Shot's girl and it is _really_ good; it's AU and has Vampires and Werewolves. I suggest checking it out! And when I say "arc" I mean my story will kinda be like how _One Piece_ really is, with the main plot (finding the One Piece) and the subplots of each adventure. You'll find out what the main plot of my story will be at the end of this arc! XD Well, I don't have anything else to say, soooo here we go!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _One Piece_ or any of _One Piece_'s characters mentioned in this fic.**

**Warning: This is AU. Basically, all that remains are their names, faces, and a few personality traits, but other than that, the characters in this story are completely OOC.**

* * *

The next week-and-a-half found the odd group of Angels and Demons walking either through the wilderness or passing through the occasional town. Seeing as no Angel _or_ Demon showed up to drag the Royals back home, their necklace charms seem to be working like a…well, charm. As the days passed by, the Angels and Demons grew a little more comfortable around each other, some of them even becoming friends. It also found Luffy and Zoro growing closer and closer as well, even as Zoro tried everything not to, but it doesn't seem Fate cares what Zoro wants.

But their luck is about to run out…kind of.

* * *

**Elysium; Transportation Center**

A certain ebony-haired Crowned Prince looked around quickly, making sure no one spotted him leaving the palace. Once he was sure he was alone, he made his way into the now-restricted Transportation Center, eager to head down to the Human World. When he was just passing the doorway, though, a voice stopped him.

"And _where_ do you think you're going, Ace?" a blond Angel asked as he stepped out of the shadows, arms crossed.

"Dammit, Sabo!" Ace said, startled, placing a hand over his heart. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Same as you, I believe." Sabo answered, raising an eyebrow. "Though I _do_ believe King Dragon ordered you to stay in the palace, under protection."

The two brothers glared at each other before Ace lost the stare-off—too impatient— and threw his hands in the air exasperatedly. "Well, of _course_ I'm going down to the Human World, Sabo! That's the last place Luffy was sensed to be."

"I know that, Ace, but—" Sabo was interrupted.

"It's almost been two weeks, Sabo." Ace said, holding up two fingers for emphasis. "_Two weeks!_ My baby bro is missing, nowhere to be sensed _at all,_ and the Elders expect me to just sit on my ass, under "protection"?" He scoffed. "Fuck that! Vivi has been presumed missing, and now Luffy and Viola are gone too! What if whoever took Vivi stole Luffy as well?! And instead of doing anything to help him, I'm sitting here, doing _nothing_! I can't just stand by anymore! I _won't_!" Ace breathed out heavily after his rant.

"Are you quite finished?" Sabo asked with exaggerated patience. When Ace nodded, deflated, Sabo spoke again. "I am _just_ as worried about Luffy as you are, Ace. He's my little brother, too. And did I ever say that I was _stopping_ you from looking for him?"

Ace opened his mouth before closing it, kind of shocked.

Sabo nodded happily. "I'm here to _go_ with you." He then tapped a finger to his chin, contemplating something. "However, I don't believe Luffy was taken."

"Then where else would he _be_?" Ace asked, a little desperate.

"Well, think, Ace." Sabo said, eyebrow raised. "Not only is Luffy gone, but so are Viola, Sanji, Nami, Franky, Nojiko, _and_ Chopper. What does that tell you?"

Ace shook his head, lost.

Sabo sighed out. "I think, since the Elders aren't doing anything about it, Luffy and his group decided to go after Vivi themselves."

Ace froze for a second before groaning out. "That _does_ sound like something Luffy would do." Though the thought _does_ make him feel _marginally_ better; Luffy wasn't kidnapped!

"Wait," another voice sounded from another shadow in the building, causing both Ace and Sabo to whirl towards it. "Does that mean my aunt isn't in danger?"

Ace squinted his eyes before recognizing the voice. "Rebecca?"

"What are you doing here?" Sabo asked, just as shocked as Ace.

Out of the shadows came a young lady, a worried look painting her face. Riku Rebecca is a princess from the 4th Royal Line, their only other living member—daughter of Viola's deceased elder sister, Scarlett, it makes her Viola's niece. She's 5'9" and has pink hair, in a braid down to her hips, with choppy bangs and two neck-length strands framing her face, chocolate brown eyes, fair skin, and a slender, curvaceous, well-endowed figure; her Angel Form consists of large angelic wings that arc above her shoulders made of long, white feathers specked with gold, and around her head is a gold evermore circlet with a cabochon aquamarine in the center. She's dressed in a white strapless organza gown with a gold ruched belt around her hips, an A-line silhouette, a lace-up back, and a drop waistline under a white hooded cloak decorated with elaborate gold designs, as well as white pumps, and sheathed in a scabbard at her left hip is a claymore—a straight, double-edged silver blade with a pointed tip and diamond cross-section, a golden cross-guard, a rounded pommel, and a blue hilt.

"Does it?" Rebecca asked again, ignoring the men's questions. "Viola is my only family, and I _don't_ want to lose her. So, does it?"

Sabo blinked before sighing out. "I don't _believe_ so, but that's not a for-sure thing."

"Are you going to go look for them?" she asked, glancing between them.

"I…" Ace trailed before roughly shoving a hand through his hair, causing his hat to fall back. "Screw it. Yeah, I am. Are you gonna tell my pops on me?"

Rebecca shook her head wildly before stepping closer to them. "I want to go _with_ the two of you."

She received blank looks in return.

Sabo regained his wits before Ace. "You want to—"

"Come with you." Rebecca finished, nodding. "Yes."

"I don't know…" Ace trailed off, looking uncertain.

"Please!" Rebecca pleaded, clasping her hands in front of her. "I won't be in your way at all. I'm an Angel Warrior too! I can more than hold my own." She then crossed her arms determinedly. "I need to make sure Viola's okay, just like you wish to with Luffy."

The brothers exchanged looks.

Sabo eventually shrugged. "She has a point."

Ace sighed out but nodded. "I guess so. Three is better for searching, especially with my and Rebecca's Observation Haki."

Sabo, though able to use it as well, knew the Royals were much better at using it than the regular Angels, so he nodded in agreement.

"But," Ace said, leaning his chin in his palm. "They'll notice somethings wrong when two more Royals go missing, won't they?"

"I think I can help with that," came a voice from near one of the landings.

The Angels whirled towards it.

"Seriously?!" Ace shouted, beyond exasperated. "How many people are _hiding_ in here?!"

"Just me, Ace," the voice said before coming into view.

"Shanks?" Ace asked, eyebrows raised in surprise. "What the hell are _you_ doing here?"

Shanks Le Roux hails from the 3rd Royal Line, the only one to be alive at this point, and is kind of Ace and Luffy's role model and father-figure. He's 6'2" and has shoulder-length, straight and scruffy cherry red hair with parted fringe, obsidian eyes, tan skin, and a muscular body; on his chin is a short, scruffy beard and across his left eye are three diagonal scars. His Angel Form consists of large angelic wings that arc above his shoulders made of long, white feathers specked with gold and a gold elven whisper circlet rests around his head; he's dressed in a white dress shirt, cherry red tie, white suit pants, and red belt underneath a white, long-sleeved, hooded cloak decorated with elaborate gold designs, as well as white dress shoes, and sheathed in a dark blue scabbard at his right hip is his daitō—a straight, single-edged black blade with a silver edge and pointed tip, a large, circular hand-guard, and a green hilt.

"You're going to go find Luffy, aren't you?" Shanks asked, ignoring Ace's question.

"Well, yeah, but—" Ace was cut off.

"Then go." Shanks said as he joined the three other Angels. "I have a feeling he's going to need all the help he can get."

"Meaning what?" Sabo asked, concerned.

Shanks just shrugged before handing Ace a slip of paper. "Here's the location of where Luffy and Viola's energy signatures were last picked up." He then pulled out a map, unrolling it and dragged his finger from Luffy's last known location, passing some towns before landing square on a town where a fancy _A,_ in gold, was written. "This is where they'll be heading, given the amount of time that's passed."

"How are you so sure about this?" Rebecca asked, looking over the map as well.

Shanks winked. "Call it intuition."

"Call it whatever you want," Ace said, grabbing the map gratefully, "as long as it leads me to Luffy."

"It will." Shanks said confidently.

"What does this marking mean?" Sabo asked, pointing at the _A_.

Shanks looked at the map before back at Sabo. "That particular town is made up mostly of Angels, living their lives out as Humans."

"Those really exist?" Sabo asked, surprised. "I heard rumors and stories about those, but—-"

"They exist." Shanks said, nodding. "As long as they promise to return to Elysium if the need arises, and promise to keep out of trouble, Dragon allows them to do as they please." He tilted his head. "I think the Demons have some as well."

"This will be so interesting to see." Sabo murmured, smiling slightly.

"Once you arrive, use your Human Forms. That's protocol there." Shanks crossed his arms. "While the towns are _mostly_ filled by Angels, some Humans _do_ actually live with them, so it's better for everyone if you appear Human." He pursued his lips. "Although, the Angels there _will_ probably recognize you two," he pointed at Ace and Rebecca, "given that you're Royalty. Your auras will give away that fact, so don't panic if they start acting nervous or anything."

"Of course." Rebecca said with a nod.

Ace will definitely be talking with Shanks about all of this later, but right now, his only priority is making sure Luffy was alive and well. Nodding thanks at Shanks, he motioned to the other two.

"Let's go." Ace said, already walking to a platform.

Sabo gave Shanks one last, considering look before turning to follow Ace. "Coming."

"Thank you, Shanks." Rebecca said gratefully and turned to join Ace and Sabo.

As soon as the three young Angels left, Shanks let out a breath, shaking his head. He can only _hope_ the reading he got on the other energies surrounding the group of M.I.A. Angels was wrong, or a fluke. There's no reason Luffy would be hanging out with a bunch of Demons, is there? He left that part out when telling Ace, though, knowing the overprotective brother would fly off the handle at that, and that's not what Luffy needs right now.

His hand unconsciously made his way to his chest, right over his heart, clenching at the phantom pain that pops up every so often. He hopes he's wrong about his other suspicions as well, or things will get real messy, real fast. He sighs out. But the signs are all there, even when he wanted to play ignorant; months ago, when Luffy thought he was fooling everybody into thinking he was alright, Shanks saw right through him. It wasn't only because Shanks knows Luffy better than he knows himself, but because he _recognized_ the look in Luffy's eyes, saw it reflected back to him in the mirror everyday for over a century: that desperate aching _need_ that grips your very soul. Then there were the times, over the past two months, when Luffy would seemingly disappear for hours before reappearing a lot happier than he had been when he left… Shanks swallowed roughly as he finally headed back towards the palaces. Right now, there are two things he suspects, suspects _so_ strongly he knows they'll turn out to be true.

One, Luffy found his Destined. He's ecstatic about that, but the clenching in his chest brought him to his second suspicion: Luffy's Destined…is a Demon.

_Why is Fate repeating a twice-wrought mistake like this?_ Shanks thought, scrubbing his hand through his hair roughly. _You'd think it'd know better by now._ He closed his eyes tightly, breathing out a resigned breath, before continuing on walking. _I only hope your story ends better than mine did, Luffy. You, of all people, don't deserve this kind of pain._

* * *

**Human World**

"_Meeeeeaaaaat_!" Luffy groaned out, dragging on behind the group.

"We heard you the _hundredth_ time you said that, Luffy!" Nami yelled behind her even as she studied the map. "Stop complaining!"

"But I haven't had meat in four days, Nami, _four days!_" Luffy exclaimed like he'd been done a great injustice—and to Luffy, going without meat that long _is_ a crime.

"I haven't been able to find any animals, Luffy." Sanji grumbled out, puffing on his cigarette; no one knows how he hasn't run out yet. "I'm sorry, but you _can_ survive on the fruits and vegetables I've been feeding everyone."

Luffy just _humphed_ out and crossed his arms over his chest, sulking; Usopp and Chopper (who became fast friends, surprisingly) chuckled at Luffy's pouting while Zoro rolled his eye.

"How much longer until we reach the next town, Nami?" Robin asked, walking next to the Angel; the two were at the head of the group.

Nami looked up from her map. "Not too long…but I was wondering…"

"Yes?" Robin inquired.

"Do you know what this symbol means?" Nami said, pointing to the elegantly drawn _A_ in a pale goldish color that overlaid the outline of the town.

Robin studied the symbol before scanning her memories; she knows she's seen that symbol drawn somewhere before. After a few silent seconds, it came to her. _Of course, that makes sense_, Robin thought as she glanced at Nami.

"Remember when I said that some Angels and Demons enjoy living in the Human World?" Nami nodded, so Robin continued. "And that there are some towns established by them for Angels or Demons to live in?" Another nod. "That symbol means this particular town is an Angel town."

Nami raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yes." Robin said, tapping the symbol. "I remember seeing the symbol before, drawn next to the one meaning a Demon town."

"And what's that one?" Nami asked, interested.

"A _D_ in the same script, though the color is a dark red." Robin said, tucking her hands behind her.

"Good to know." Nami said with a nod, back to studying the map.

"It seems your friend's charms are working well." Bonney commented to Nojiko, twiddling the opal in-between her fingers. "No one has found us yet."

Nojiko smiled proudly. "She's good at what she does."

"And you still won't tell us who she is?" Viola asked, looking past Sanji at the periwinkle-haired Angel.

"She likes anonymity." Nojiko said with a shrug.

"Make sure to thank her then the next time you see her." Perona said, smiling slightly.

"Oh, I definitely will." Nojiko said happily, crossing her arms.

"MEAT!" Luffy groaned out again.

"Shut _up_, Luffy!" everyone yelled at the Angel Prince.

* * *

**Human World; Outside the Angel Town**

"So, this is an Angel town, huh?" Sabo mused aloud. "Looks like a normal Human one to me."

The three Angels landed right outside the semi-large town, each taking a second to catch their breaths and look around. As soon as they got their bearings, the two Royals stretched out their Haki, but only felt the Angels that lived in the town, no Luffy or Viola or any of the others.

"Luffy," Ace sighed out, incredibly disheartened. "Where are you?"

"We should go in and ask around." Rebecca said, though looked upset at not sensing Viola. "Maybe they've seen them."

"Good thing I brought a picture of Luffy." Sabo said, pulling out a partial body-shot of a smiling raven-haired boy with a straw hat, waving at the camera.

Ace grabbed the picture of Luffy from Sabo and looked at it. He had the same picture in his room as well; it was probably his favorite one of Luffy. The picture always made him smile whenever he saw it, seeing as it was just so _Luffy_, but right now, the picture just made him sad. He really missed his baby brother…though this also strengthened his resolve.

"I'll find you Luffy." He promised aloud, to no one really. "I swear it!"

"We both will, Ace." Sabo said, putting a comforting hand on Ace's shoulder. "Now, let's change and go ask around."

Ace nodded.

The three glowed softly in gold before their wings melted away (Ace and Rebecca's circlets as well) and they're now left in their Human Forms. Ace still had his hat, necklace and bracelet on, but he's now wearing a white open-front, short-sleeved shirt, black cargo shorts, an eyelet-studded orange belt, a short second belt with a large red "A" on the silver buckle over his right hip—but left unfastened and threaded the free end along the back of his shorts—and black mid-calf combat boots, as well as a green sheath with a dagger fastened at his left hip.

Sabo's hat, gloves and metal pipe remained with him, but he's now dressed in a long blue dress jacket with a buckle around his left bicep, a black double-breasted vest, a white dress shirt, a frilled white cravat, loose white trousers tucked into black shin-high boots, and a black belt with an elaborate flower-design buckle. Rebecca's wearing a pale yellow V-neck halter top, dark denim short-shorts, a white belt, black low-heeled, knee-high boots, and still sheathed at her hip is her claymore.

"Let's go see what we can find." Ace said confidently, walking right into the town; the other two followed behind him.

The other Angels in the town immediately sensed the strong Auras that entered their town and as they looked up, they saw a person they _never_ thought they'd see walk into their little town: one of the Crowned Princes.

"That's Crowned Prince Portgas D. Ace!" a woman whispered to a few of her friends.

"Isn't that Princess Riku Rebecca?" a merchant whispered to one of his customers.

"What are they doing down here?" someone else asked.

"Isn't that the Angel that's always hanging around the Crowned Princes?" another voice question.

"Is something wrong in Elysium?" was another popular question.

"Will we be forced back?" asked someone else.

Everyone watched as the Angels walked through town, seemingly looking for something. The three Angels walked on, ignoring the questions and stares that were going on around them; with a sigh, Ace decided to start asking his questions now before the Angels freaked out even more. He turned and walked over to a merchant—definitely one of the Angels—with Sabo and Rebecca breaking away to go ask others.

Ace's very presence seemed to startle the gawking seller as he seemed to only want to bow down in respect of the Crowned Prince.

"Hey, I need to ask you something." Ace said as he brought out the picture of Luffy from his pocket.

"A-anything you want, Crowned Prince Portgas. I'll h-help however I c-can," the man stuttered out.

Ace eyed him for a minute before showing him the picture. "Have you seen him?"

"I d-don't think so, sir," the man said quietly. "Is he important?"

"He's my brother." Ace stated seriously, knowing that would get a reaction.

The man's eyes went even wider. "The A-Angel Prince?! He's missing?"

"As of right now, yes." Ace said, tucking the photo away. "And he might be heading in this direction, so I'd appreciate it if you kept your eyes open."

"Of course, sir," the man said instantly, bowing respectfully.

"Thanks." Ace said, disheartened, as he moved on to ask another.

Five hours passed by and it seemed no one had seen Luffy or Viola or any of the other Angels. Feeling extremely gloomy, the three Angels took a break to sit down for some food. Nothing real interesting happened—only the owner making sure the Royalty in his restaurant were served quickly with amazing food—so it wasn't a surprise when Ace and Rebecca popped up when something…unexpected brushed against their Haki. Looking out the window, they saw a suspicious group walking into town, their auras definitely making their identities easy to distinguish, even in Human Form.

"What are Demons doing here?" Ace asked, turning in his chair as his eyes narrowed, counting about fifteen or twenty Demons in total.

"They seemed to be searching for something." Sabo speculated a few minutes later as the Demons were, indeed, asking around.

"The Angels don't seem to happy to have them here." Rebecca observed, seeing the frowns the Angels gave as the Demons wandered around.

The three walked out of the restaurant once the Demons left the immediate area before Ace headed over to one of the Angels they questioned.

"What were those Demons asking about?" Ace asked bluntly.

The Angel startled before timidly saying, "T-they were asking if a-any strange Angels or Demons passed through here, sir."

"Strange Angels or Demons?" Ace questioned.

"Yes, sir." The Angel said, nodding. "Specifically a-about large groups."

"I see." Ace said, nodding a thanks, before heading back to the other two, who looked at him curiously. "They were asking if any strange Angels or Demons have been here. Ones in large groups." He tapped his chin.

"Are they asking about Luffy and the others?" Sabo wondered before something occurred to him. "Why would a group of Demons be looking for Luffy? And why even ask about other Demons?"

"I don't know." Ace said, worrying his thumbnail with his teeth.

Rebecca crossed her arms tightly. "Something isn't right here."

"We need to find Luffy, and fast." Ace said, pacing back and forth.

The other two nodded in agreement.

* * *

**Back with the Angel/Demon Group**

"Perona?" Robin suddenly called back.

"Yeah?" she answered.

"We're about to reach a town soon, but it seems to be an Angel town." Robin explained. "Could you send a few of your specters ahead of us to check it out?"

"Of course." Perona said before concentrating, sending three specters out from her palms before sending them to the town ahead. "Shouldn't take too long."

The Angels (minus Luffy) looked at Perona in shock.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"You have a "gift"?" Viola asked, eyes widened slightly.

"Oh, yeah." Perona said with a shrug. "Do any of you?"

Viola nodded. "I do. Luffy does as well, and I believe you saw Chopper's the first night." She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound so surprised. It's, just… finding other people born with "gifts" is kind of rare."

Perona waved off the apology. "Don't worry about it."

"What can you do?" Bonney then asked, curious.

Viola pursed her lips; explaining her "gift" is a little complicated. "I guess I could describe it as having X-ray vision. I can also look into your thoughts if I have a direct connection to you, and also let that person see my memories in return."

"Don't forget you're able to see a 200 kilometer radius around you from where you're currently standing." Sanji added, squeezing her hand lovingly.

The Demons were stunned.

"That's…impressive." Brook said, taking the words out of the others' mouthes.

"What can you do, Luffy?" Usopp asked, looking at the still-pouting and hungry Angel Prince.

Before he could answer, Zoro—who'd been walking next to him—grabbed ahold of Luffy's cheek and pulled, satisfied he got his point across when the other Demons gasped, and let it go, the skin settling back with a _snap_.

"What the hell?!" Bonney asked, eyes wide. "How did that happen?"

"I'm a rubber man!" Luffy exclaimed, as he always does when asked about his "gift".

The other Demons looked at Zoro for an explanation.

Zoro rolled his eye but said the same thing Luffy told him when he asked: "His whole body is made of highly-stretchable rubber."

**. . .**

Robin was the first to respond. "How fascinating."

Zoro knew that tone, so he knew she was gonna ask a ton of questions about this later.

"And I thought Robin's was freaky." Perona said, regaining her wits.

"What can you do?" Franky asked, looking at Robin.

Robin crossed her arms in an "X", calling out, "Dos Fleur," and before the Angels' eyes, two disembodied arms grew out of Luffy's shoulders before grabbing his straw hat and plopping it back on his head; then, the appendages disappeared in a flurry of peach blossoms.

"That was…" Nojiko trailed off, not quite sure what to say. "Can you do that with other body parts?"

Robin nodded as she dropped her arms. "As long as there's a surface I can use, I'm able to create as many copies of anything I possess as I wish…within reason, of course."

"And I thought _Luffy's_ was weird." Nami finally said.

"I guess _both_ Luffy and Robin have weird "gifts"." Bonney said with a shrug, the others agreeing.

As the group continued on their path, Perona stopped moving suddenly, seemingly concentrating on the horizon. It took a second for the others to realize this, but when they did, they all stopped moving and faced the pink-haired Demon.

"What's wrong?" Nami asked, looking off in the direction she was staring in. "Do you see something?"

"Not here." Robin said, recognizing Perona's vacant gaze. "Her specters are in place, so she's receiving information from them."

"Really?" Nojiko asked, looking back at Perona.

"That's how her "gift" works," Robin said, though paused, considering something. "Well, partly works. Though the specters are great for information gathering and recon, they can also be used in combat."

"How?" Franky asked.

"You'll see soon enough." Robin answered evasively as she looked back at Perona.

"Everything _seems_ peaceful enough." Perona finally said, vacant stare still there. "Nothing screams danger." Her eyes then focused back before she shook her head, regaining her vision. "I could only see the main street, though."

"That's alright." Viola said, smiling. "That's better than nothing. Since it's more than 200 kilometers from me, I can't do anything."

"Guess we're in luck, then." Nami said, glancing back at the horizon.

"Don't tempt Fate, Nami." Robin said ominously. "It likes making things more complicated then they need to be."

"Great." Usopp groaned out. "Just what we need."

"So, like you said, this is an Angel town," Nami said and Robin nodded. "And since this is an Angel town, won't they freak out when they sense Demons approaching?"

"Never fear, little sis!" Nojiko more or less shouted, causing everyone to look at her.

"Why?" Nami asked cautiously.

"Because of these." Nojiko said, tapping her necklace. "I told you, as long as we're in our Human Forms, our auras are repressed and we'll read as just Human."

"Oh, I didn't realize that." Nami said thoughtfully. "I only thought it hid us from Haki readings."

"Nope." Nojiko said. "We just need to stay in Human Form and we'll be golden."

"Alright everyone," Nami then announced, looking around. "We're going to go into the town and get some supplies, so, above all, stay as inconspicuous as possible." Nami blew out a breath. "With only these necklaces protecting us, we're skating on thin ice here, so everyone needs to _behave_. Okay?"

She got nods in return before Sanji raised his hand lazily.

"Yes, Sanji?" she asked sweetly.

"Is it alright if Luffy already ran off ahead of us?" the blond Angel asked in a bored tone.

"_WHAT_?" Nami screeched out, whipping around, just now noticing the absent Angel Prince. "Why would he just run off like that?"

"He was hungry." Zoro stated in a flat voice, looking at the Angels like they were stupid. "Wasn't it obvious?"

"Oh _no_." Nami groaned out. "That _idiot_."

"Well?" Sanji asked.

"Let's go before that moron destroys something." Nami said between gritted teeth, leading the way to the Angel town.

"Would he actually do that?" Usopp asked.

"Yes," was the collective answer of the Angels.

* * *

"Food, food, food, food, food!" Luffy continually chanted, finally finding a restaurant as soon as he entered the town.

He couldn't help the fact he was starving! It's been four days since he last had any meat, and that's not okay in Luffy's book. He knows it's not Sanji's fault, since no animals means no meat, but that didn't stop him from having hunger pains. Fruits and vegetables just aren't enough! He needs to find a restaurant and feast.

Luffy grinned before throwing out his arms, stretching them out—to the shock of everyone watching from the sides—and grabbing onto the doorframe of the restaurant. Before anyone knew what happened, he yelled out "Rocket!" and flew forward, crashing into the restaurant and caving in a wall on his landing. Pulling out of the crater, brushing the crash off like nothing happened, he sat down on a barstool before demanding meat.

The people in the restaurant were all frozen, not just because of the random teen _flying_ into the place, but because they _recognized_ who it was. They couldn't believe the _Angel Prince_ just walked in, the same one those other three Angels were asking about; another thing…he has no aura. That was strange in and of itself, seeing as he's Royalty, so his aura would be brighter than other Angels', but nothing.

"Give me food!" Luffy demanded again, lifting his hands in the air. "Come on!"

"O-of course," the cook said with a nod as he turned and began preparing any meat he could find; a few minutes later he was setting it down in front of him.

_"Finally!"_ Luffy exclaimed before he started carnivorously attacking his meal.

"Um, you k-know…" the cook started.

"Hm?" Luffy asked through a mouthful of meat, looking up at the man—Luffy recognized him as an Angel from his aura.

"There's been some people…looking for you," the Angel said.

"Really?" Luffy asked, though not concerned, as he continues to attack his meal.

"Yes…" the cook said, placing another plate in front of him.

Luffy was just about to ask who was looking for him when suddenly the door slammed open, causing quite a commotion to rise in the restaurant. Luffy quickly turned around, cheeks stuffed full like a chipmunk, to see a group of people standing there. Wait…those are Demons!

"You!" the group yelled, pointing at Luffy.

"Me?" Luffy asked, pointing at himself in surprise.

"You are to come with us, right now!"

"But I don't want to." Luffy pouted, swallowing down the rest of his food.

The Demons said nothing else as the charged at Luffy, pulling out different weapons, but Luffy wasn't about to be caught that easily. He quickly jumped onto the bar before stretching up to grab a bar hanging from the ceiling; retracting swiftly, he swung and sailed over the Demons

With a goofy grin, he yelled out, "See ya!"

And then he landed on the ground outside and started running as fast as he could away from there. He didn't know why Demons were looking for him, or how they knew he'd be there—and he didn't particularly care—but he knew he needed to get away from them. Running down an alleyway, he didn't see the Demons standing there before he was right on top of them.

"Ah!" Luffy yelped with wide eyes as he instinctively stretched his arm up to grab onto a roof ledge and brought himself up. Looking down, he blew out a breath. "That was close."

"Get him!" someone yelled.

"Damn!" Luffy yelled before he started running, leaping from roof-to-roof.

Looking behind him as he ran and jumped, he misstepped and ended up falling back down onto the ground, flat on his back; with the wind knocked out of him, he couldn't get up fast enough before three Demons surrounded him. Closing his eyes, trying to get his breath back so he could _move_, he froze when a loud _whoosh_ sounded before a _crash_ was heard.

Opening one eye, he saw the Demons in a pile of rubble a few feet away. Pushing himself up, he looked around, confused, before seeing two figures standing in front of him that he _really_ wish he didn't see…his older brothers.

Sabo and Ace exchanged high-fives before turning around to see who they saved from the Demons; they blanched when they saw who was laying on the ground.

"_Luffy_?!" they shouted.

"Ah!" Luffy finally gasped, quickly scooting away from them. "Ace! Sabo!"

"Luffy!" they cried out simultaneously, overjoyed to literally run into him.

"I c-can't go back!" Luffy yelled as he vaulted up, turned around and ran off.

"Uh…Luffy?" Ace gasped out, watching the younger run off like his life depended on it.

"What was that?" Sabo asked, bewildered.

A _thump_ was heard before Rebecca stood and straightened out. "You find something?"

"Yeah, Luffy." Sabo said, still stunned.

Ace finally shook off his shock before shouting, "Luffy! WAIT!" Then he took off after him, Sabo and Rebecca right behind him.

Luffy continued to run, trying to get out of the maze of alleyways, while muttering to himself, "Not good, not good, _not good!_"

"Luffy! Come back!" Ace yelled, finally a few feet behind him.

"We just want to talk!" Sabo shouted, keeping up with Ace.

"Ahhh! Go away!" Luffy screamed back as he took another turn and ran even faster.

Ace slid to a stop, contemplating, before climbing up to the roof, the other two following automatically. He finally could see where Luffy was running, so he was gonna wait until Luffy hit a dead-end to talk to him; that idea was quickly pushed aside when he saw more Demons enter, heading right towards his baby brother.

"Damn it!" Ace cursed as he leapt from roof-to-roof before dropping down, Sabo and Rebecca following behind him.

"Wah!" Luffy squeaked when he saw the three Angels land right in front of him.

Before any words were exchanged, Ace turned and punched an oncoming Demon right in the face. Luffy blinked in surprise before more Demons seemed to appear and the three new-coming Angels began fighting them off. Luffy was too stunned to move, so before he knew it, all the Demons were laid flat out on the ground, unconscious.

"Well, nothing like kicking Demon ass to get the blood pumping." Ace said with a smirk, sharing a look with Sabo.

"Are you here to take me home?" Luffy asked, his brothers whirling to look at him.

"Well, that's what dad'll probably want." Ace said, scratching his head. "You have him worried sick."

"I can't, Ace." Luffy said seriously, his eyes never leaving Ace's.

"So you _are_ going after Vivi." Sabo said, causing Luffy's gaze to snap over to him.

"Of course." Luffy immediately answered.

"The Elders don't believe she's been kidnapped." Sabo said, watching Luffy carefully.

"The Elders are stupid." Luffy stated with no hesitation. "What Chopper saw was true."

"But, Luffy, Demons can't—" Ace was cut off.

"Yes, they can." Luffy said, crossing his arms.

"What are you talking abo—" Ace started asking before suddenly a loud explosion sounded and bricks were blown apart; then Ace was slammed into Luffy and the two Crowned Princes flew _through_ another wall, screaming out, and back onto the main street.

Everyone gasped out when they saw the two raven-haired Angels fly out and smash roughly into a merchant stall. They all backed away when a figure walked through the rubble and smoke, his aura giving away that he's definitely a Demon. He's a tall, dark-skinned man with black hair in short, spiky dreadlocks and wearing a brown trench coat with a pink cravat and a pair of sunglasses.

"Heh, finally got you." He said, coughing out a puff of smoke.

When the smoke and debris settled, he saw an Angel, but not the one he wanted. Growling, he reached down and tossed him aside to look at the Angel he was sent to capture. Reaching into his pocket, he brought out the large syringe he was given, filled with a special drug that'll knock out the Angel for a good, long while; Ace was still dazed and Sabo and Rebecca were still trying to make their way through the rubble, so Luffy was left vulnerable.

As the Angel townspeople cried out, the syringe was raised up before the sharp needle arced downward, heading right at Luffy, but then, out of nowhere, a sliver of compressed air came flying from the right; suddenly, the syringe was cut in half, the liquid that resided inside splatting onto the ground. The Demon blinked in surprise before narrowing his eyes with displeasure when someone moved instantly in front of Luffy.

"Roronoa," he growled out; seeing the prince here was nothing less than a surprise, especially with him protecting an Angel.

"Mr. 5." Zoro acknowledged, readjusting Shusui after his attack. "And that's _Prince_ Roronoa to you."

Mr. 5 backed up, letting the half-syringe fall onto the ground, as he looked at Zoro with disdain. "Cocky bastard, aren't ya?"

Zoro let out a low warning growl as he shifted Shusui into a better defensive position, letting the other Demon know he wasn't going to let him _touch_ the Angel Prince.

"What the hell are you doing?" Mr. 5 finally asked, crossing his arms.

"I _swear_ I will slice you into ribbons if you touch even a _hair_ on this Angel." Zoro growled out, his free hand laying on another katana, showing how serious he was.

"Uuuuhhhh, what the hell happened?" came the dazed voice of Ace as he sat up, holding his head.

"Ace!" Sabo yelled as he and Rebecca finally made it to the main street. "Luffy! Are you o—" His eyes widened. _"What the hell?!"_

Ace, at Sabo's shout, looked to the side and finally saw the scene going on in front of him. "Ah! Luffy!"

Zoro heard the yelling, but didn't take his eyes off of Mr. 5. "I don't know what the hell you think you're doing, but you are _not_ touching him. I won't _let_ you."

The amount of protectiveness laced in that growl shocked Ace and Sabo. Who was this guy and why was he protecting Luffy? He wasn't giving off an aura…and come to think of it, neither was Luffy. But there were more important things to worry about right now.

"Get away from him!" Ace finally shouted, pushing himself upright.

"Can't do that." Zoro said, not even looking at Ace, before turning around and picking up the still-dazed Luffy.

Ace couldn't help but notice the gentle way the man was handling his younger brother, almost like he was something precious and fragile.

"Alright, _what's_ going on?" Sabo asked, lost, as he looked between Ace and the man holding Luffy.

"Long story." Zoro said, still holding his katana up protectively. "But if you don't mind making a clear path, I'd like to get this idiot out of here."

Ace stared at Zoro thoughtfully, something niggling in the back of his head, but he couldn't help but trust him with Luffy's safety. He doesn't know why, but he knows this man doesn't mean Luffy any harm and seems almost anxious to get him away from the Demon.

"Can't let you do that, Roronoa." Mr. 5 growled out, squatting some. "Give me the Angel Prince."

"I will throw down my own katanas before _that_ happens." Zoro scoffed, narrowing his one good eye.

"Roronoa?" Sabo breathed out, shocked. _It can't possibly be_—

"Then I'll just have to—" before Mr. 5 could finish, Ace bulldozed into him, knocking him over and onto the ground.

With the Demon successfully distracted, Zoro hiked Luffy more securely onto his shoulder—not at all loving the feeling of holding him—and takes off while he still can.

Sabo stared after him curiously before whipping his head around when more Demons joined the party; nodding at Rebecca and grabbing the pipe off his back, the two of them jumped into the fray.

* * *

Zoro stopped running when he reached the other side of town before ducking into an empty building to hide from anybody else looking for them. Moving the still-out of it Luffy into his arms, Zoro sunk to the ground and laid Luffy down, resting the Angel's head in his lap. Looking down at him, he sighed out before smoothing a hand over Luffy's face, then down his torso, trying to feel out any injuries. When he found none, he breathed out in relief.

"You're a whole lot of trouble, aren't you?" Zoro whispered, though a fond smile was found on his lips as he delicately traced over Luffy's face.

He didn't know why or how, but as soon as the group reached the town, Zoro felt something restrict inside of him, in his chest. Instantly, he knew it meant Luffy was in trouble, so without stopping to tell the others, he took off in the direction he instinctively knew Luffy was in; which is odd, since Zoro's usually not good with directions, _at all_. Seeing that Demon above Luffy, about to stab something into him…a red haze covered his vision and before he even knew what he was doing, Shusui was in his hand and he had sent an attack out. He'd never been as scared as he was when he saw Luffy laying on the ground, completely vulnerable. Before he could delve further into those feelings, however, he felt Luffy's breathing patterns deepened before a low sound emerged from his mouth.

"Uhhhhhh, what hit me?" Luffy groaned out, trying to shake off the fuzziness of his vision.

"I think it was something like a brick wall and your brother," came a low voice from above Luffy, snapping him out of his daze.

Opening his eyes, Luffy found himself looking up with his head laying in Zoro's lap, the Demon's fingers smoothing through Luffy's silky hair. "Zoro?"

"Yeah, it's me." Zoro said softly, hand still moving through his hair. "You okay now?"

"I think so." Luffy said, rubbing his eyes, but not moving from his comfy spot. "I went through a wall?"

"Mr. 5 blasted you through it." Zoro answered.

"Mr. who?" Luffy asked, confused.

"5. He's a mid-level Demon Warrior who works under Crocodile." Zoro said, gritting his teeth.

"Crocodile?" Luffy asked, eyes wide. "The Demon who took Vivi?"

"Yeah." Zoro said, rubbing some of the dust off of Luffy's cheek. "He was trying to kidnap you. Any reason why?"

Luffy pursed his lips in thought before shaking his head. "Nope, none at all."

Before Zoro said anything else, Luffy popped upright suddenly, looking around wildly. "Where's Ace?"

"What?" Zoro asked, confused.

"He was with me earlier!" Luffy exclaimed, looking at Zoro. "Him and Sabo!"

Zoro blinked before shrugging.

Luffy bit his thumb. "Him and Sabo somehow tracked me down!"

"I can see that." Zoro said, almost apathetically.

"Ahhh!" Luffy groaned out, fisting his hands in his hair. "They're gonna find out about you!"

"Do they know why you're down here?" Zoro asked, trying to keep himself _and_ Luffy calm.

"Yeah, I said I was getting Vivi back." Luffy answered.

Zoro sighed. "I don't think they recognized me as a Demon, thanks to Nojiko's charm necklace, but fooling them for long won't be easy."

"Yeah…" Luffy sighed out, rubbing a hand through his hair. "And I can't go back until Vivi's back with us."

"Did they say they were gonna bring you home?" Zoro asked, resting an elbow on his knee.

Luffy shook his head. "I was trying to tell them how we knew a Demon took Vivi when we were blasted through the wall."

"You can tell me now," said a voice from the entrance of the building.

Both Luffy and Zoro jumped to their feet and faced the three figures entering, the brothers both looking between the other two.

"Well?" Ace asked, crossing his arms. "Want to explain what's going on here, Luffy?"

"I…uh…" Luffy stuttered out, but before he could give a satisfactory answer, more voices sounded outside the building.

"Ah, here you are." Sanji said from the entrance, but then he noticed the other Angels and his eyes widened. "Ace? Sabo? What are _you_ doing here?"

"You found them, Sanji?" Nami asked from behind him before sucking in a sharp breath. "Oh, crap."

"Everyone, in here, _now." _Ace growled, tapping his foot impatiently.

The Angels slunk inside with the Demons following right behind them; Ace and Sabo exchanged confused glances at this, but before they could comment, a loud gasp sounded.

Viola covered her mouth in shock. "Rebecca? What are you doing here?"

Rebecca smiled and sprinted over to her aunt, hugging her tightly. "I was worried when you didn't come home, so I came with Ace and Sabo to look for you and Luffy."

Viola sighed out and returned the hug, stroking her back. "I'm just fine, Rebecca." She looked over at Luffy then at Sabo and Ace. "We _both_ are."

"We can see that now." Sabo said, looking around the room. "Now, will _someone_ please explain what's going on here?"

Viola pulled out of the hug, but kept an arm slung over Rebecca's shoulder as she began explaining everything that's been going on, starting with how her and Sanji came to Luffy about Vivi and all that followed from there (though kept their new friends' identities a secret).

Ace and Sabo, at the end of the explanation, traded looks and nodded, though had some questions.

"Okay, three questions." Ace said, holding up three fingers and Viola nodded. "How are you so sure it was a Demon that took Vivi," he put down one finger, "how could a Demon even _enter_ Elysium," he put down another finger, "and who the _hell_ are these people?" Ace pointed to the disguised Demons, his finger finally landing on Zoro.

The Angels exchanged looks before they all looked at Luffy, since this impacts him the most. Breathing out, Luffy moved himself until he was in front of Zoro, just in case, and kept his eyes locked on his brothers'.

"To answer your first two questions," Luffy said seriously, crossing his arms, "I need to answer your last one first." They nodded. "But I need you to swear _not_ to freak out, okay?"

"Yeah, sure." Ace said, moving his hand in a _get on with it_ motion while Sabo nodded again.

Luffy sighed out before bluntly stating, "They're Demons."

Ace, Sabo, and Rebecca were stunned silent, to say the least. They looked around the group, their eyes landing on each Demon before Ace and Sabo faced Luffy, who was still standing in front of Zoro, almost protectively. They didn't know how to react. Sabo was the first one to regain his voice.

"Demons?" he asked flatly and Luffy nodded. "But they aren't giving off an aura." Then Sabo looked at Luffy and the other Angels. "Come to think of it, neither are any of you."

"They're being masked." Nojiko said, resting a hand on her hip.

"Masked?" Rebecca asked, looking at her. "Is that why no one could find any of you for the past two weeks?"

"Yeah." Nojiko said, lifting her necklace up slightly. "While in our Human Forms, these babies hide our auras from anybody, making us seem Human."

"How?" Sabo asked; Ace was still in shock.

"It's a friend of mine's "gift"." Nojiko answered, letting the necklace fall back against her collarbone.

Ace shook his head finally before marching up to Luffy, standing nose-to-nose with him. "And _why_, Luffy, are you traveling with a bunch of Demons?"

Luffy didn't even flinch at Ace's proximity and stared back defiantly. "They're helping us get Vivi back."

"It's thanks to them we know _who_ took Vivi and _where_ she's probably being held." Viola added, trying to diffuse the situation.

Ace still didn't move. "Why are they helping you in the first place?"

Silence reigned. The Angels held their breaths, waiting to see how Luffy would respond; they all know Luffy can't lie to save his life, so it's either he tells the truth or says nothing, which Ace won't be happy with. Well, he won't be happy with the other answer either.

Luffy blinked once before opening his mouth and stating, without hesitation, "Because he's," he pointed behind him at Zoro, "my Destined. _That's_ why they're helping us."

**. . .**

**. . .**

**. . .**

Ace's eyes went wide with shock before he stumbled back a few steps, and Sabo wasn't in any better shape. They didn't know how they were supposed to respond to something like this. Looking at Luffy, though, they know he's not lying and that just makes this _worse_.

"No," Ace finally said, shaking his head in denial. "No, no, _no_! That can't be! It's not _possible_."

Luffy just raised a brow at his brother, oddly calm. "Yes it is, Ace. You, of all people, know that better than anyone."

Ace flinched before his eyes narrowed, looking around quickly. "What the hell are you—"

"They know, Ace." Nami said, causing Ace to snap his head in her direction. "Luffy let the secret of your heritage out on our first night together."

Ace bowed his head, rubbing a hand over his face.

"They're really Destined?" Sabo asked quietly, looking between Luffy and Zoro.

"I'm afraid so." Sanji said, blowing out some smoke.

"And they're helping you get Vivi back?" Rebecca asked, still standing next to her aunt.

"We are." Robin answered with a calm smile on her face.

"Why?" Sabo asked her, eyebrow raised. "What's in it for you?"

"Nothing." Robin replied with a shrug before gesturing at Zoro. "He asked for our help, so here we are."

"And I asked for their help because Luffy was dead-set on getting his friend back, and with the kidnapper being a Demon, I knew he'd need our help." Zoro said, leaning an arm on his katanas.

Sabo looked past Luffy at Zoro. "That Demon back there called you Roronoa." Zoro nodded slowly. "So you _are_ Roronoa Zoro, correct? Prince Roronoa, son of Dracule Mihawk?"

"That's right." Zoro said, a little confused.

"I thought so." Sabo said, rubbing his eyes tiredly. _Things just got more complicated._

Zoro didn't know how to respond to that.

Ace finally raised his head before walking past Luffy and standing right in front of Zoro, staring him down, seemingly looking for something; Zoro returned his stare equally, not knowing why he was being stared down, but didn't budge a bit. After a few minutes of this, Ace finally took a step back and nodded, finding whatever he was looking for.

"You really care about my brother, don't you?" he asked Zoro.

"Yes." Zoro replied with no hesitation.

Ace watched him for another few seconds before saying gravely, "If you _ever_ hurt him—"

"I'd rather kill myself first than do anything to Luffy." Zoro stated, leaving no room for argument.

Ace and Sabo exchanged glances while Luffy blushed a little at that statement, though couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face.

"Then I think we're good here." Ace said, slapping Zoro on the arm before walking back to join Sabo.

"You don't care that he's a Demon, Ace?" Luffy asked, glancing at his brother.

Ace shrugged. "I can't really say anything about it without sounding like a hypocrite."

"Also, these things are left up to Fate, nothing we can do about it now." Sabo said, smiling at his younger brother.

"Well, now that all _that's_ settled, we need to figure out our next step." Zoro said, moving to stand next to Luffy, instead of behind him.

"What do you mean?" Nami asked, raising a brow; that was pretty obvious, wasn't it?

"A Demon just tried to kidnap Luffy." Ace answered her, clenching his fists.

"A Demon?" Robin asked, a little surprised, while everybody else gasped in surprise or horror.

"Yeah, one of Crocodile's." Zoro said, looking at the black-haired beauty. "Mr. 5."

"I see." Robin said, nodding, though her eyes looked troubled.

"So, Crocodile, the one who kidnapped Vivi-_swan_, just had one of his men try to take Luffy?" Sanji asked, swirly brow raised. "Why?"

"Just who is this Crocodile person?" Ace asked, looking at the group.

"From the description the young Chopper gave us," Brook said, leaning on his shikomizue, "we believe that Baroque Crocodile, a high-level Demon Warrior, is the one who kidnapped your fair princess."

"A high-level Demon Warrior?" Sabo asked, confused. "Why would a Warrior want to kidnap Vivi?"

"We don't know that yet." Robin answered, still troubled.

"And you know where he's keeping her?" Rebecca asked, looking at the female Demon.

"Crocodile owns a parcel of land here in the Human World." Robin said. "I believe that is the most likely place he'd be keeping your princess."

"Okay, I heard enough." Ace said, crossing his arms.

"Huh?" Luffy asked, looking questioningly at his brother.

"I'm going to be joining you." Ace said definitively.

"What?" Luffy squeaked out, eyes wide.

"If Ace is going, then so am I." Sabo said with a nod.

Luffy switched his wide-eyed gaze to Sabo.

"I'm coming too, then!" Rebecca said, smiling.

"Rebecca?!" Viola shrieked out, looking at her niece.

"With these extra Demons after you now, you'll need all the help you can get." Rebecca said, crossing her arms defiantly.

"But you_ can't_." Nami said reasonably. "Your auras aren't being hidden like ours are. It'll lead the Angels right to us!"

"Well…." Nojiko said, pursing her lips.

"What, Nojiko?" Nami ground out, looking at her sister.

"I _might_ have some necklaces they can use." Nojiko said, twiddling her fingers together. "Back-ups my friend gave me."

Everyone just looked at her in quiet shock.

"What?" Nojiko said, reaching in her back pocket and bringing out three more necklaces with the gems hanging off of them. She smiled and tossed them to the three Angels. "Here, catch."

Ace grabbed the one tossed at him and saw it was a garnet; Sabo grabbed his and saw the gem was a sardonyx and Rebecca got an aquamarine. They looked over the necklaces before shrugging and dropped them over their heads, their auras disappearing as soon as the rounded gems settled on their collarbones.

"Well, now that we got _that_ all worked out, we should get going." Nami said, her hands resting on her hips. "We need to grab some supplies, since we wasted all this time looking for _you_!" She pointed at Luffy, eyes narrowed.

Luffy pouted. "Sorry, Nami."

She rolled her eyes, but a small smile tilted her lips. "Yeah, yeah." She turned and started for the doorway. "Let's move."

The group followed after Nami, though Ace and Sabo hung back for a second.

"An Angel and Demon Destined?" Sabo asked, glancing at Ace.

Ace sighed and nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I know." He glanced out the doorway. "Something big is coming, something that requires another pairing like this to happen."

"First with your parents, and then with…" Sabo trailed off when Ace nodded again. "And that Demon is Dracule Mihawk's _son_. You know what that means."

"I do." Ace said as he finally headed outside with Sabo right behind him. "Let's just hope things end better this time around."

* * *

**Well, I hope that wasn't too awkward. I know I kinda just threw Shanks in there, but I wanted to introduce his character, and I felt this would be a good way to do so. I also included Rebecca 'cuz I just really like her! And, yes, this lacks ZoLu, but don't worry! I'm just trying to build up the plot here and their relationship, so either the next chapter or the one after will contain ZoLu, I promise! Let me know how I'm doing, and if there's anything you want me to add, just ask. Well, until next time!**


	7. Chapter 6

**I am so, so, so, so, so, _so_ sorry for not posting until now! College started two weeks ago and I've had homework every night since then. And then, if that wasn't bad enough, my Mac died on me a week ago. Completely dead, so I had to get a new one. But I got 5 good years from that Mac, so I can't complain. I'm just happy I was able to get my stuff off of my old Mac and transfer them onto the new one. Anyways, enough of that. Here is the next chapter of my story, so I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _One Piece_ or any of _One Piece_'s characters mentioned in this fic.**

**Warning: This is AU. Basically, all that remains are their names, faces, and a few personality traits, but other than that, the characters in this story are completely OOC.**

* * *

A few days went by since Ace, Sabo, and Rebecca joined the Vivi-rescuing group and…nothing really memorable happened. No more fights or running into other Demons or said-Demons trying to kidnap Luffy…just, nothing. The more action-oriented members of the group were bored to tears, so tensions were running a little bit higher than normal (especially between a certain blond Angel and green-haired Demon).

According to the map Nami's reading off of, there won't be another town coming up for some time, so the group traveled during the day, through plains and hills, and settled in either a forest clearing or cave for the night. During that time, Ace and Sabo would spend the days they walked watching Zoro and his interactions with Luffy; though they said they were okay with Zoro, Luffy was still their little brother, and they couldn't just shut off the protective part of their brain. Luffy didn't notice, or he didn't care, though Zoro was very much away of it.

Another day passed by when the group _finally_ encountered something, something rather…unexpected. And strange.

* * *

"Hey guys?" Perona called out suddenly, snapping everyone from their thoughts as they traveled through yet another set of plains.

"What is it?" Robin asked, turning to look at the pink-haired Demon.

"There's a town up ahead." Perona stated; the others then noticed that her eyes were unfocused, a clear sign she was getting information from one of her specters.

"How far?" Nami asked, glancing down at the map in her hands.

"About a mile." Perona informed, pointing in its general direction, which was right in front of them.

Nami's eyebrows furrowed as she studied the map, trying to find any nearby towns, but there were none. "That's weird."

"Something wrong?" Ace asked, crossing his arms behind his head.

Nami shook her head. "Nothing bad, just…there shouldn't be any towns anywhere near here."

"Are you sure?" Bonney asked, glancing over at her sister then back at Nami.

"Positive." Nami said, looking up at Perona. "Are you sure it's about a mile away?"

Perona nodded, eyes focusing again. "I know what I'm seeing. There's a town near us."

"Hm, guess its a new one." Nami figured with a shrug. "Is it a normal Human one?"

"Looks like it." Perona answered, but gave a half-shrug. "But I could be wrong."

Sabo, stopping beside Ace, hummed out. "Think we should avoid it?"

"That would be the _smart_ thing to do," Sanji said as he dropped his cigarette and stepped on it, "but we really need to get supplies. Thanks to a certain _someone—"_ everyone turned to glare at Luffy, who blinked back innocently, "—we're almost out of food. It's even harder to hunt for animals in the middle of the plains, much harder than it was before."

"Sanji is right." Robin said, politely ignoring when Sanji's eyes grew hearts and he started twirling around, spouting off some romantic nonsense. "We should stop by…" she then looked at the collected group seriously, "but be very wary of divulging any information."

Everyone agreed with the black-haired Demon and proceeded on to the town. Upon arrival, however, they were greeted with the strangest sight they've seen in awhile…

A welcoming party.

"WELCOME STRANGERS!" the townspeople cheered as they tossed confetti and threw ribbons in the air, making noises as well.

"What. The. Hell?" was the general statement from everyone, except for Luffy, who's eyes went wide and mouth turned up in a grin. "This is so _cool_!"

Everyone face-palmed at that.

"Hello, strangers. We're so glad you've decided to visit our humble little town," almost every townsperson said, a (creepy) smile on their faces.

Nami rolled up the map and stuck it into her back pocket before stepping forward cautiously. "Um, hello. We were wondering if there was anyplace around here to buy some supplies?"

"Of course!" one of the people said. "But first you must join us in a welcoming feast!"

"A what?" Nami asked, eyebrow raised. She shouldn't have bothered.

"A _feast_?!" Luffy shouted, instantly next to Nami. "Will there be meat?!"

"Of course," the person said. "Come, follow us."

"Awesome!" Luffy shouted, following after the people without a second thought.

"Luffy!" Nami yelled, stomping her foot in frustration. "We can't afford to pay for a feast!"

"Oh, don't worry, Miss," another person said. "The feast will be for free."

"You don't say." Ace said with an easy smile, quickly running to catch up with his little brother. "Then I'm in! Bring on the food!"

"They can't be serious." Zoro deadpanned, looking at the Crowned Princes incredulously.

"Unfortunately, they are." Sabo answered, coming to stand next to the Demon. "But that's Luffy and Ace for ya."

"Yeah, always thinking with their stomachs first." Sanji said, lighting up another cigarette. "But food is food. Let's go before they eat everything."

The others followed behind the rest of the townspeople, most of them relaxed and laughing with them. Zoro didn't need his Haki, or even the slightest bit of brainpower, to know something was up with this town; he glanced over at Robin, who caught his eye and nodded slowly. Good, he wasn't the only one.

The next few hours found everyone indulging themselves with either food or alcohol, laughing and chatting with the townspeople like they were old friends. It seemed only Zoro, Robin, and maybe Nami and Sabo suspected something was up. Even while looking out for an ambush, Zoro got roped into a drinking contest with Nami, the two of them throwing back mugs of ale like it was nothing. Finally, an hour later, everyone dropped, either too full to function or too drunk to stay awake.

Or so the "townspeople" thought.

Zoro's eye lifted up halfway and watched as the townspeople dropped their "welcoming" facades and started talking amongst themselves, muttering at how gluttonous they were…or something. Zoro didn't really care, he was just waiting for a good opportunity to—

_Finally!_ The small building they were in cleared out, so Zoro sat up, shaking off the last cobwebs the alcohol caused and stood, stretching. Looking around, he noticed Robin sitting up as well, followed by Nami, then Sabo. He caught Robin's eye and indicated he was going to see what was going on; she nodded in response and pointed at Sabo and Nami, saying she was going to stay with them. With a plan in mind, Zoro quietly inched out of the building before quickly wrapping himself in shadows—not as effective as if he'd been in Demon Form, but still a good cover—and spread his Haki out. What he sensed surprised him.

_Demons?_ Zoro thought, quickly moving along an exterior wall before hopping up onto a roof. _But they didn't have any auras. What the hell?_

He finally reached the center of the town, where he sensed the largest amount of peop—no, _Demons_, and crouched down on the edge of the roof, the "townspeople" completely unaware of his presence.

"It's him, right?" one of them, a woman, asked. She's tall and muscular with dark skin, pink hair pulled into short pigtails, wearing a short dress with a magenta/white-checkered pattern, and obviously has Demon wings and tail.

Zoro's eyebrows raised. That was Miss Monday, one of Crocodile's minions. How'd he miss her before now? But this proved that his assessment _was_ right—there _was_ something funky happening here. Though he still doesn't know how they managed to hide their auras, or why they're here…or who they're asking about.

"Yes, it's the Angel Prince," another woman said. This one has short blond hair, bright green eyes, and Demon wings and tail; she's in a yellow and orange hat, as well as a yellow dress with a lemon-like pattern, lemon earrings, and white heels.

Zoro recognized her as well—Miss Valentine, another one of Crocodile's Demons. But as soon as it was made apparent who they were asking about, Zoro's fists clenched. Seems Crocodile's Warriors aren't about to give up on trying to catch Luffy. Well, they didn't count on him being there. Or, at least still being conscious.

"We should just go and grab him." Miss Monday said, tapping her foot impatiently. "Why are we standing around here? He's completely vulnerable right now!"

Zoro bit down on the angry growl that wanted to come out.

"Patience, Miss Monday." Miss Valentine chastised, twirling her bright green, blue striped parasol. "Mr. 9 is making sure they're all unconscious. Having any of them wake up, especially that damn _prince _Roronoa, would mess up all of our plans."

Zoro's eyebrow rose. _So they _did_ realize I was here._

"What's the prince and his little group even _doing_ with the Angel Prince?" Miss Monday asked, arms crossed.

Miss Valentine twirled her parasol again, looking thoughtful. "I don't know, but according to what Mr. 5 reported, he's rather protective of the little brat." She sighed. "That's why we had to put on this little show. If that damn bastard wasn't with him, we could've grabbed the Angel Prince as soon as he entered the town!" A growl slipped through her lips. "Better yet, Mr. 5 would've already had him!"

Miss Monday nodded, resting her hand on her chin.

About five minutes passed by, Zoro staying still and listening to the women talk, trying to see if they'd reveal anything about Crocodile and his plans—though all he _really_ wanted to do is rip their spines out of their bodies for even _thinking_ they could touch Luffy.

"Miss Monday!" a shout came from the left. "Miss Valentine!" The two women turned somewhat.

"What is it, Mr. 9?" Miss Valentine asked impatiently.

"Four of them are gone!" he shouted as he finally joined them, bending over as he tried to catch his breath.

Mr. 9 is a middle-aged man who has long red hair with a crown on top, Demon wings and tail, and is wearing a fancy green suit along with an ornate red scarf.

Zoro saw Miss Valentine's hand clench on her parasol's handle. "Which ones?"

"Two of the Angels and…uh…"

"Spit it out!" the blonde woman shouted.

"Roronoa and Nico Robin!" he finally shouted, his hands clenched.

"Dammit." Miss Valentine said through clenched teeth, looking around. "That means he could be anywhere."

"We should grab the Angel Prince while we can." Miss Monday said, looking around as well.

Zoro snorted. _Fat chance I'll let _that_ happen._ With a smirk, he let the shadows fall off of him as he dropped down from the roof, landing right in front of Miss Valentine, Miss Monday, Mr. 9, and the other "townspeople".

The three at the front of the group jumped at the sudden intrusion before gasping.

"Shit! It's Roronoa!" Mr. 9 said, pulling out his weapons-of-choice—two metal bats. "What did you hear, you bastard?"

Zoro crossed his arms, tilting his head slightly. "I might have heard something, or maybe I heard nothing." He shrugged. "Doesn't really matter. What _does_ is that you three," he pointed to the midlevel Warriors, "are going nowhere _near_ the Angel Prince."

"Hmm." Miss Valentine hummed out, studying Zoro. "So Mr. 5 _was_ right. You _are_ rather protective of the little Angel Prince. Any reason why?"

"Nothing you fuckers need to know about." Zoro said, glaring at them; to their credit, the three Demons hid their reactions quite well to such a…venomous glare.

"You think you can beat all of us?" Miss Monday said, cracking her knuckles. "This _whole_ town is filled with Demons and I know most of them would _love_ to see you dead."

"Really now?" Zoro asked breezily, smirking as he slid Shusui and Kitetsu III out of their scabbards. "That just makes it all the more fun."

"You aren't even in your Demon Form." Mr. 9 pointed out, laughing as he tossed his bats up and down, tail swishing from side-to-side. "You really think your Human Form will be enough?"

(The "townspeople" had gone back to their Demon Forms as soon as Luffy and the others fell unconscious.)

"I don't need to be to deal with a weak bunch like you." Zoro growled, readying his body. "This will be a piece of cake."

In the midst of the shadows stood another Demon, though not one of the town's. Robin smiled in amusement. She wasn't at all surprised that Zoro just challenged over a hundred Demon Warriors to mortal combat _while_ he was still in his Human Form—that's just something he would do. Although, now, he has an even better reason to win the fight: Luffy's, his _Destined_, life depends on it. Instead of returning to the others, she stayed and watched the fight—which ended up spreading throughout the whole town—and it wasn't long before Zoro had taken every single one of Crocodile's Demons down.

"Hm, that was quick, even for him." Robin noted as she gazed around the town, eyes clocking every single unconscious Demon; they all seemed to be defeated.

Well, all except for Mr. 9. Robin watched, with a smile, as he tried to sneak up on Zoro, but before the prince could react to what his Haki surely sensed, two disembodied arms grew out of Mr. 9's shoulders, covered his mouth and bent him backwards, a loud _crack_ sounding from the spine as she broke it.

Zoro remained tense for a couple more seconds before finally relaxing, sheathing his two katanas, and headed over to where Robin stood. "I could have handled him."

Robin tilted her head. "I know, but it wasn't a problem." She gazed over her friend as he got closer, frowning at the amount of damage she could see. "Are you okay, Zoro?"

Zoro waved his hand dismissively, though his breaths started coming a little harder. "This is nothing."

"If you say so." Robin said, though still looked worriedly at him, but her attention was quickly diverted when she heard two sets of footsteps coming towards her and Zoro.

"Robin!" Nami yelled, waving at the female Demon. "Look at what I found. These guys were _loaded_." She waved behind her at Sabo, who was hauling two bags full of money.

"What did those townspeople end up being?" Sabo asked, looking at Robin before over at Zoro, eyebrows raised at the amount of wounds he could see on the Demon prince.

"Demons." Zoro ground out, wiping blood off of his forehead before it leaked down into his eye. "A bunch of Crocodile's."

"They're dead-set on kidnapping Luffy, huh?" Nami observed, resting her hands on her hips.

"It seems that way, yes." Robin agreed, crossing her arms as she frowned.

"And we still don't know why?" Sabo asked, placing the bags of money on the ground next to him.

"No." Zoro growled, shaking his head when his vision went a little fuzzy around the edges.

"Zoro?" Robin asked, taking a step towards him.

"'m fine." Zoro said, even as his speech started slurring some.

"You don't sound fine." Nami said, a little worry in her voice, as she stepped closer to him as well.

"I—" before Zoro could finish his sentence, he pitched forward—like his muscles just quit working—and fell towards the ground.

"Zoro!" Robin called out worriedly, instantly sprouting hands from the ground to cushion the other Demon's fall.

Sabo instantly kneeled next to him and felt for a pulse before holding a hand in front of his mouth. "His pulse is way too fast, his skin is clammy and his breathing is labored." He stood back up, eyes troubled. "Somethings wrong, and I don't think its because of these wounds." His eyes swept over the Demon again. "Most of them are superficial."

"We need to wake up Chopper and Kaya." Nami said, determined, even as she pushed the bags of cash into a small hole, hiding them out of sight.

"Go and get them, Nami." Sabo said, hauling the green-haired Demon up, with help from Robin, and started heading to the building they were standing next to. "We'll be in here."

"Okay." Nami said, giving one last, concerned glance at Zoro before running back to where everyone else still was.

_I swear I will kill that idiot if he dies_, Nami said, clenching her hands as she ran even faster. _Luffy won't survive if he doesn't._ And that thought scared her more than anything else.

* * *

Back and forth.

Back and forth.

Everyone watched the young Angel Prince pace in front of the building that housed Zoro, an upset expression on his face.

He's been like that ever since Nami woke everybody up and filled them in on what happened; most of them were actually surprised that the town had been filled with Demons, but Luffy was the most troubled when he learned that Zoro had gotten hurt protecting _him_. And he didn't even know he'd been in danger.

"Luffy!" Nami finally snapped, looking at the Angel Prince. "You're making me dizzy. Please just sit down and wait."

Luffy didn't even give her a second glance, like he didn't even _hear_ her, and continued his pacing.

"It's no use, Nami-_swan_." Sanji said, leaning against the building's wall with Viola in his arms. "He won't stop or listen to anybody until he knows the moss head's okay."

"It's a Destined thing." Viola added after seeing Nami's confused look, leaning further into Sanji's arms. "It's hell knowing your Destined is hurt and there's nothing you can do but wait."

About two hours went by in stifled silence—some of them actually falling asleep—before the door slowly opened and both Healers walked out, looking tired and haggard, but optimistic. Luffy was immediately in front of both them, eyes wide and questioning.

"Is Zoro okay?" Luffy asked, his voice slightly shaky.

Chopper breathed out, but smiled somewhat at Luffy. "He's going to be fine, Luffy."

The Angel Prince's whole body slackened in relief at hearing that.

"What was wrong with him?" Robin asked, coming to stand behind Luffy.

"It seems one of the wounds he received was infected." Kaya said, clasping her hands together. "Poisoned, actually."

"Poisoned?" Luffy asked, eyes wide.

Robin placed a comforting hand on the young Angel's shoulder before looking back at Kaya. "One of the weapons was poisoned?"

"It seems that way." Chopper answered, taking his cap off to wipe the sweat away. "We healed all the other wounds he received, but the poison was already in his system by the time we got to him."

"Between Chopper and I, we were able to…neutralize the poison enough so it isn't deadly, but…" Kaya trailed off, looking to the side.

"But?" Robin asked, looking between the two Healers.

"But it's going to take a little longer for him to be back up and able to walk." Chopper answered.

"Meaning we won't be able to leave for…" Robin trailed off questionably.

"It'll be about a week before the poison is completely out of his system." Kaya answered, wringing her hands nervously.

"But we don't have a week!" Nami exclaimed, looking frazzled. "_Vivi_ doesn't have a week!"

"I know, but it was the best we could manage." Chopper said, bowing his head apologetically.

"So, what do we do now?" Viola asked several minutes later, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "We can't leave Vivi waiting any longer than necessary, but we also can't just leave Zoro here." She glanced at Luffy, knowing he won't budge until Zoro was okay, but didn't say so aloud.

"It doesn't seem there's anything we _can_ do." Nami said, pushing a hand through her hair, agitated, before looking at Chopper. "There's _nothing_ that can done to speed up his healing?"

"I'd say maybe going back to his full Demon Form might help, but…" Chopper trailed off, looking upset that there was nothing he could do.

"Right, we don't want anybody tracking us down." Nami said, frustrated.

"Well," everyone looked at Robin when she spoke up. "There _might_ be a way to speed up Zoro's healing."

Kaya looked questionably at the other Demon before her eyes widened in understanding. "You don't mean—"

"I do." Robin said with a nod.

"But that's rarely done anymore." Kaya said, looking a little distraught.

"What are you two talking about?" Nami asked, looking between the two women.

"Blood." Robin said, glancing around at the Angels who were still awake.

"Blood?" Sanji asked, confused. "What does that mean?"

Kaya blew out a breath. "She means if Zoro were to…were to get some blood from someone else, it might speed up the healing process." _Actually, it would definitely speed up the healing process_, Kaya thought to herself, but didn't voice it aloud; she didn't really like the process too much.

"Get some?" Chopper asked, looking at the other Healer. "Get some _how_? A transfusion?"

"She means Zoro needs to drink from another person." Robin answered and all the Angels' mouthes dropped in shock.

"_Drink_?!" Nami screeched, looking back and forth between the Demons. "You mean you Demons actually drink blood from other people?!"

"Like I said," Kaya said, trying to calm down the hysterical Angel, "it's an act that's rarely done anymore, thanks to the powers us Healers have, but yes, healing used to be done that way."

Robin tilted her head. "Why do you think we have such sharp canine teeth?"

The Angels blinked at that; they never really thought about it.

Luffy hadn't said a word, just staring down at the floor, but when his friends started questioning Kaya more about the process, he discreetly got Robin's attention.

The Demon looked at Luffy, eyebrow raised in question. "Yes, Luffy?"

"It'll help Zoro?" Luffy asked, looking at Robin seriously. "If he gets blood from someone else, he'll get better faster?"

Robin studied the young Angel Prince quietly for a few seconds before nodding. "Yes, it would."

Glancing up, making sure his friends were still distracted, he asked Robin, "What do I need to do?"

* * *

Luffy pulled the door shut behind him, securing the lock before looking around, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room. Blinking a few times, his eyes finally adjusting, he found where Zoro was laid out, his breaths steady, though somewhat raspy. He swallowed and tucked the knife Robin gave into the back of his pants before moving forward.

Zoro blinked his eye open when he felt someone enter the room; it took a second before he recognized the energy as Luffy's. Coughing some, he turned his head and saw Luffy standing next to him, a worried expression on his face.

Luffy looked a bit surprised when he saw Zoro's eye focused on him, but he soon smiled. "Zoro's awake."

Zoro's lips tilted in a half-smile. "I see _you_ finally woke up."

At the reminder of why Zoro was in this situation in the first place, Luffy frowned. "Zoro got hurt protecting me."

Zoro rolled his eye. "This? It's nothing, Luffy. Don't worry."

"You were poisoned!" Luffy shouted, hands clenched. "If it wasn't for Chopper and Kaya…if they hadn't gotten to you in time…"

Zoro reached out with one hand and grabbed Luffy's wrist, gripping it tight. "Hey, calm down. I'm alright—"

"Stop saying that!" Luffy yelled, glaring at Zoro. "You aren't alright! Chopper and Kaya said you won't be better for another week."

Zoro froze—he knew they didn't have a week.

His attention went back to Luffy when he felt the Angel shift nervously. "But Robin said there was a way for Zoro to get better faster."

Zoro blinked in confusion before it suddenly hit him. "Hell no!"

"Zoro—"

"No, Luffy. That is _out of the question_." Zoro snarled, yanking his hand away from Luffy. "Why the fuck would she even _suggest_ that?! Is she out of her mind?!"

"But, I want—"

"I said no, Luffy." Zoro said, no, _growled_, as he inched away from Luffy. "I am _not_ taking any blood from you!"

"But we need to get you better so we can go save Vivi!" Luffy shouted, placing both hands on the table holding Zoro and leaning forward.

"Then leave without me." Zoro said reasonably.

"No." Luffy said with such finality that Zoro was slightly taken aback. "I am not going without Zoro."

"Well, I'm not taking any blood from you." Zoro stated, looking away. "I couldn't, anyway, even if I wanted to. I need to be in full Demon Form to be able to."

Truth is, Zoro knew if he tasted even _one_ drop of the Angel Prince's blood, he'd lose it. What Robin said was true, Demons _can_ heal a lot faster if they take blood from someone else, but she left out the other half of the equation. The blood is for healing, yes, but its also used for pleasure, both for the giver of the blood and the receiver. Zoro's been trying his damn hardest to stay strictly platonic with Luffy, but he _knew_ if he did this, all that effort would be for nothing. He wouldn't be able to stop himself from taking the Angel Prince, his _Destined, _consequences be damned.

Luffy sighed out. "Robin said Zoro might be difficult."

Zoro let out a low growl. _That damn woman!_

Luffy swallowed before steeling his nerves and reaching behind him, grabbing onto the knife's handle and remembering the black-haired Demon's words.

_"Listen to me very carefully, Luffy." Robin said as she held out a knife for the Angel to take. "Zoro will fight this."_

_"Fight this?" Luffy questioned as he looked at the knife._

_"He will refuse to take any of your blood." Robin explained. "He's too stubborn for his own good sometimes."_

_"Then what should I do?" Luffy asked, grabbing the knife from her._

_"That's why I gave you that." Robin said, pointing at the knife. "He will fight you, but as soon as he tastes even one drop of your blood, he'll stop and he'll drink."_

_Luffy nodded, understanding finally reaching him. "So I need to cut myself and—"_

_"And put the wound over Zoro's mouth and force him to drink." Robin finished, nodding. "After that, he'll take over."_

_Luffy nodded, and when he was about to go inside, Robin stopped him._

_"One more thing?" _

_"Yeah?" Luffy said, glancing back._

_"I know this is an inconvenience, but you're going to need to be in your Angel Form for it to work." Robin explained. "And once Zoro tastes you, he'll automatically go back to his Demon Form."_

_Luffy looked indecisive._

_"I'll handle things out here if someone were to come." Robin assured._

_Luffy looked at the door, then back at Robin before nodding. Taking a breath, he entered._

"Luffy, what are you doing?" Zoro asked carefully when he saw Luffy reach behind him.

He glanced at Zoro before letting out a breath and letting his Human Form slip off, becoming an Angel once more (minus cloak).

Zoro's eye widened in surprise as he tried to sit up. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Luffy ignored Zoro and finally brought the knife into view; Zoro's eye widened even more, if possible. While Zoro was yelling at him to stop, Luffy quickly brought the knife to his left wrist, pressed down and sliced deeply, immediately bringing blood to the surface.

Zoro's voice got stuck in his throat the minute the scent hit him and he stared at Luffy incredulously. Luffy dropped the knife from his grip and spread out his wings, flapping them so he started to hover somewhat, before twisting until he was over top of Zoro; lowering himself down, he folded up his wings as soon as he was straddling Zoro. Placing his right hand on Zoro's chest, steadying himself, he reached over with his bleeding wrist until it was almost over the Demon's face.

Zoro then really started struggling, trying to pitch Luffy off of him, but he didn't count on Luffy being just as stubborn as he is. Pushing down on Zoro's chest even harder, Luffy finally managed to get his wrist in position; looking down at Zoro one last time, eyes slightly apologetic, he forced his bleeding wrist over Zoro's mouth and waited.

Zoro froze, stiff as a board, as soon as realized what Luffy accomplished. He tried to close his mouth but it was too late, a drop of blood trickled out of Luffy's wound and landed right on his tongue; once the taste registered to Zoro, his body relaxed and one hand came up to grab Luffy's wrist, pushing it harder against his mouth before he started to _suck_.

Luffy felt a shiver skate down his spine, the feeling of having his blood taken by Zoro being strangely good; his right hand clenched over Zoro's chest when he felt a tongue swipe at the wound before his eyes slid shut in pleasure.

Zoro—so far gone on Luffy's taste—wanted more of the delicious blood he was tasting. Taking one last swipe at the wound, Zoro removed his mouth and moved his hands so they were clutching the Angel's shoulders; letting out low growls every time he exhaled, he suddenly flipped them so he was now on top with Luffy below him. As he flipped, he let his Human Form slide off so he's now in Demon Form, staring at the absolutely delectable Angel underneath him.

Luffy felt he should've been scared or freaked out to be in a position like this, but, if anything, it _excited_ him in a way he knows he's never felt before. The two simply looked at each other, electricity in the stare, as they kept apart; it took every ounce of will power the two possessed not to move, even with Zoro's mind filled with blood-lust (and normal lust), he didn't budge. The smallest movement would trigger it all, have everything crashing down, but the wait, though unprecedented, was actually needed—it filled the two with anticipation and, yes, desire.

Luffy took in a breath, a natural action, and that was the catalyst. That was all it took.

Zoro let out a low snarl and dove at Luffy's neck, pushing his head aside and _bit_ down at the crook, sinking his fangs in deep. Luffy froze at the sudden move before finally letting out a low moan at the action, moving his arms to wrap around Zoro's waist, needing to anchor himself to _something_.

Zoro felt as if he was burning from the inside-out; he's never tasted anything as sweet as his Destined's blood, nor heard anything as arousing as the little sounds Luffy keeps letting out.

Luffy dug his fingers into Zoro's back, hard enough to probably leave bruises, as little sparks zipped through his body, before letting out another moan as Zoro's fangs dug deeper into his neck. Zoro shifted one of his hands absentmindedly, but he happened to do so in a way that caused his fingers to brush across one of Luffy's wings.

"Zo_ro_!" Luffy suddenly moaned out, body arching up as pure _pleasure_ rippled through him.

That sound instantly cleared Zoro's foggy mind. He paused, breathing harshly though his nose, as everything came back into focus around him. But, instead of horrified like he felt he should've been, he was more curious as to what made Luffy react like that; a second later, he realized what it was he did. Swallowing down what was left in his mouth, he (reluctantly) pulled out so he could look down at the Angel, body tightening even more with the picture Luffy made: cheeks flushed, eyes half-lidded and glazed over, mouth slack with pleasure.

He was gorgeous.

Luffy felt his breathing even out once Zoro gave him a minute to breathe, but that breath left him just as fast when Zoro brushed down one of his wings with his hand, the Demon studying Luffy's reaction closely. Luffy didn't disappoint.

"_Ahh!_" Luffy moaned out, arching up before falling back down, eyes squeezed shut as pleasure arced through his body once again.

Zoro's mouth curved up in a smirk before he purred out, "So your wings are really that sensitive?"

Luffy panted out as he opened one of his eyes, staring at the amused Zoro hovering above him, though didn't say anything; couldn't say anything, really.

Zoro ran his fingers down the wing once more, relishing in how _soft_ they were; it was like touching a cloud. Luffy, though, kept twisting beneath him, breathy moans escaping his mouth every time Zoro's fingers brushed through the feathers of his wings. Zoro licked his lips hungrily, but swallowed down his lust at the sight; no matter how _much_ Zoro wanted the Angel Prince at this moment, it just wasn't the right time. Breathing out, reminding himself that he _was_ doing the right thing, he moved both palms so they rested on either side of the Angel's hips before leveraging himself up—using his wings to keep himself balanced. Once he was on the ground and safely off of Luffy, he shook himself one last time before slipping his Human Form back on.

Luffy, once he was able to breathe again, opened his eyes before pushing himself up on his elbows, staring at the Demon next to him. "Zoro?"

Zoro stared at Luffy before shaking his head, a smile slipping free. "Get changed, Luffy, then we'll talk."

Luffy blinked before shrugging and pushing himself up so he was sitting indian-style on the table; he then, in a flash of golden light, changed back to Human Form. The two stayed quiet as they simply looked at each other, both not quite sure how to start the conversation.

"Does Zoro feel better?" Luffy finally asked, voice a lot more subdued than Zoro was used to.

Taking a minute to mentally check himself over, he up looked at Luffy and nodded. "Much better, actually." Blushing some, he looked away, but still said, "Thanks."

Luffy's smile widened when he heard that. "Good. I'm glad." Then his mouth slid down until it was in a frown. "Did I do something wrong?"

That surprised Zoro. "What the hell are you talking about, Luffy?"

Luffy stared down at his fingers as he fiddled with them. "Well, it's just…" He peered back up. "Does it still bother you that I'm an Angel?"

Zoro blinked, shocked. "Does it _still_ bother me?" Luffy nodded. "Luffy, it never _did_ bother me. I could care less that you're an Angel."

Luffy looked up fully at Zoro, confused. "Then why won't you touch me?"

"Touch you?" Zoro really needed to stop repeating back the last two words of Luffy's questions back to him, but he couldn't help it; the Angel has really thrown him. "What are you talking about? I touch you all the time!"

Luffy huffed and crossed his arms. "Not like that!" He vaulted off the table and stood right in front of Zoro. "You don't touch me like Sanji and Viola do! Or how Usopp and Kaya do! We're Destined, but you don't treat me like it!" Luffy panted slightly after his rant, but didn't back down.

Zoro frowned. He honestly didn't know him holding back bothered Luffy that much. "Luffy, it's not like that, not at all."

"Then what is it?!" Luffy yelled, tears gathering in his eyes.

That did it. Zoro automatically reached forward and pulled the Angel into a hug, tucking Luffy's head underneath his chin and holding him tight; after a second, Luffy returned it, gripping Zoro like he might disappear of he let go.

"I'm sorry, Luffy." Zoro whispered in Luffy's ear. "I didn't realize you felt this way."

Luffy let out a huff but snuggled deeper into Zoro's hold.

"You didn't do anything wrong." Zoro said, laying his head on top of Luffy's. "It's my fault."

"Why?" Luffy asked.

Zoro let out a chuckle. "Luffy, you don't realize how hard it is to _not_ touch you, to not kiss you or hold you or do any of that with you."

"Then why don't you?" Luffy questioned, feeling a little better after the confession.

Zoro sighed. "We still don't know what this means."

"Huh?" the Angel questioned, confused.

Zoro brought a hand up and ran his fingers through the raven strands. "I don't care that you're an Angel, Luffy, but when it comes down to it, you _are_ an Angel and I _am_ a Demon."

Luffy nodded, indicating he was listening.

"Angel and Demon pairs are rare and, if what Robin says is true, than when one happens, it means something _big_ is coming." Zoro said, his fingers still carding through Luffy's hair. "I guess that's made me paranoid." He sighed. "I should've talked to you about this instead of giving you the cold shoulder."

Luffy poked Zoro's stomach, letting out a huff. "Yeah, Zoro should've." Luffy pulled back and looked up at Zoro then. "But it doesn't matter."

"What doesn't?" Zoro asked, eyebrow raised.

"It doesn't matter if our pairing means something is _going_ to happen." Luffy stated, eyebrows furrowed as he continued looking up at Zoro. "Why worry about what's gonna happen in the future? We should just live in the here and now, and enjoy everything as it comes. And when that "big something" comes, we'll face it," Luffy grabs one of Zoro's hands and laces their fingers, "_together_. 'Kay?"

Zoro stared down at Luffy, bemused, before chuckling and nodding. "When you put it that way, I guess you're right."

"Good." Luffy said with a final nod, smiling back up at the Demon.

The two stood like that, just staring at each other, before they were moving, closing the distance between them as easily as if they'd been doing it for decades. No more than a breath apart, Zoro bent low, gently cradling his Destined's chin as the Angel lifted his face to receive him. The motion of their bodies held a natural balance, an ease that would have surprised even them had they spared a moment to consider it. With only the slightest tilt of his head, the Demon leaned down to complement the angle of his Destined, and they met, lips joining in a gentle kiss.

When Zoro pressed, Luffy would bow. When Luffy pulled, Zoro would yield. When one asked, the other gave.

When Zoro's lips slanted more firmly across that of his partner, Luffy's opened in answer, and the joining took on a deeper meaning. Zoro took his hand back from the Angel's to be able to draw that lithe body against his own in a perfect fit. With little more than a moments hesitation, he drove forward, claiming Luffy's breath as he sealed those pliant lips with his. With a gasp, Luffy felt his form meld with Zoro's, the breathy sound swallowed by the larger Demon as he moved slowly, searching. Zoro's lips parted above his, and the smaller Angel instantly countered. There was a moment of heavy expectance, as if time had slowed as Zoro groaned in a wordless show of appreciation, the Angel's hands lifting to tangle in his hair.

And then the Demon was delving between those lips, Luffy's mouth held in welcome as he was tasted, as the taller of the pair nursed from his lips. Something laced through the smaller Angel's mind at the invasion of his Destined's tongue, feeling it withdraw only to return again, coaxing his own into motion. It was something akin to panic that would have had him reeling backwards in shock if it hadn't been so positively electric, winding through his veins in a way that made him feel like a fight was pointless. In an intimate twist on a game of keep away, Zoro eluded the touch of his Destined's tongue upon his own, retreating until the Angel followed of his own accord, answering his deceptive invitation and probing forward and through into the heady cavern of the Demon's mouth.

Zoro's severe exterior completely disguised what lay beyond his lips, something hot and supple. Luffy had never sampled anything anywhere near as pleasing as Zoro. He had an essence all his own, somehow mingling the faint essence of ale with a flavor he couldn't place, one always just beyond the top of his taste buds. And when he couldn't seem to distinguish that strange spice, he succumbed to the pull of the unknown, chasing it relentlessly as he drank from the other's lips.

The larger Demon tasted of something dangerous, something forbidden and absolutely feral that sent his pulse racing. It was dizzying, sapping the air from his lungs and settling like a scalding weight in his stomach…

Zoro then started backing away, turning their kiss back into something sweet and slow. When breathing became an issue, Zoro finally took his lips off of the Angel's, albeit reluctantly, and looked down at his Destined. Luffy still had his eyes closed and was breathing heavier than usual, but there was a happy smile curving his lips and when he finally opened his eyes, they sparkled in a way Zoro's never seen before.

Luffy slid his hands from Zoro's hair down so they were cupping his cheeks, a happy smile still gracing his lips. "Can we do that more?"

Zoro stared, stunned, at the Angel before laughing; he moved his hands so they were over the Angel's before nodding. "Yeah, Luffy, we'll definitely be doing that more often."

"Shishishi." Luffy laughed, snuggling into Zoro when the Demon pulled him into a hug. "Good." It was quiet for a few more minutes before Luffy asked, "Zoro?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think you'll be okay to leave tomorrow?" Luffy asked, pulling back somewhat to looked worriedly up at Zoro. "Vivi's still waiting for us."

Zoro smiled and nodded, reaching a hand up to brush across Luffy's cheek. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

Luffy breathed out a sigh of relief and sunk back into Zoro before letting out a wide yawn.

Zoro chuckled when he heard that. "How are you still tired?"

"Shut up." Luffy said, pouting. "I just gave you my blood, you know."

Zoro shook his head before bending and scooping up the Angel, holding him bridal style. "Then why don't we get some sleep before we leave tomorrow?"

"Zoro!" Luffy yelped, but laughed and beamed up at the Demon. "Can I sleep with you?"

Zoro heart's stopped beating for a moment before he realized _that_ wasn't what Luffy meant. "Sure, Luffy."

"Yay!" Luffy cheered, wrapping his arms around Zoro's neck.

Zoro shook his head before sliding back onto the table he'd been laying on prior and settled down, Luffy draped over him quite comfortably. Tucking his head underneath Zoro's chin, he placed a quick kiss on the skin of his neck before whispering, "Night," and instantly falling asleep. Zoro smiled and kissed the top of Luffy's head before following Luffy into slumber.

Neither noticed the disembodied eye that had appeared as soon as Luffy entered the building, but it now disappeared in a flurry of peach blossoms as the owner opened her actual eyes and looked up at the three worried faces right across from hers.

"Well?" Ace asked, looking like it physically pained him to stay outside while his brother went inside.

Robin chuckled some before smiling. "Everything's fine. They're both asleep now."

"How did Zoro look?" Nami asked, her chin resting on her knees.

"We'll be able to leave tomorrow morning." Robin said, crossing her legs.

Nami sighed out in relief. "Good."

"Is everything okay between the two of them?" Sabo asked the Demon, curious as to what went on in that room.

Robin's smile turned into more of a smirk. "I'd say everything is better than fine between them."

Nami and Sabo nodded in understanding while Ace looked lost.

"What—"

"Why don't we get some sleep as well?" Sabo asked, cutting Ace off. "If what Robin saw is correct, than we will be leaving as soon as everybody wakes up in the morning."

Ace frowned at his brother before letting out a huff. "Fine. Night."

The four still-awake people exchanged "Good nights" before each settling down in a comfortable position. Robin sighed out as she leaned against the building wall; she's glad Zoro is better and that things between the Angel and Demon are a lot better than they were this morning. She was starting to get sick of walking through the sexual tension that floats around those two like a cloud.

_I wonder how long it'll be before those two have sex_, Robin pondered. _Well, more of how long Zoro can hold out_. Chuckling, Robin finally drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**Well, there it is. Did I do okay? The ZoLu scenes feel a little...weird and I know I just ended it, but I couldn't think of any other way to end it Well, until next time!**


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